Emma Memma’s Dance Island Party

Renowned children’s entertainer with a focus on integrated accessibility through visual communication combined with creative children’s screen media.

Dancer and filmmaker, Emma Watkins, began her performance career early from the age of 3, nurturing her love of dance and movement, performing ballet, Irish, hip-hop, tap and contemporary dance at The McDonald College for Performing Arts and ED5 International in Sydney. Emma found a love for film editing during her time at Sydney Film School and completed her masters in Media Arts and Production at UTS. After dancing in productions around Australia, France, India, Canada, China and New Zealand, Emma joined Australian children’s entertainment group, The Wiggles in 2010, becoming the first female Wiggle in the main line-up.

Emma’s passion for movement and body expression expanded to an interest in sign language and raising awareness of Australia’s Deaf community since she was young. Ever since, Emma pursued studying sign language, with a Diploma of Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and Diploma in Interpreting at Deaf Connect. She currently sits on the advisory board for the Australian Government, the ‘Early Years Strategy’ focusing on children’s needs and family services for future policies.

Emma has recently completed her PhD at Macquarie University combining all her passions, focusing on the affective and artistic integrations of sign language, dance and film editing. Currently, Emma is touring the nation and abroad with her new children’s entertainment venture ‘Emma Memma’, winning the ARIA award for Best Children’s Album in 2023. ‘Emma Memma’ features Emma and Deaf dancer and artist, Elvin Lam (Elvin Melvin) highlighting visual language for preschoolers and their family network to give them the skills to communicate through sign and gesture.