Emma Watkins
Young girl smiling and looking at the camera

Yellow Wiggle
Young Alumni Award 2020

Master of Media Arts and Production, 2012 

Emma Watkins is a performer, filmmaker and charity ambassador, best known as the first female member of The Wiggles. Alongside touring the world as the beloved Yellow Wiggle and winning two ARIA Awards, Emma is strongly committed to supporting young children in the Deaf Community and is an ambassador for StorySign – an app that translates written text into sign language. She also regularly incorporates sign language into her performances, ensuring more children can enjoy The Wiggles, and is collaborating with Deaf artists to direct and produce multidisciplinary film works that move and inspire. 

Emma is also a UNICEF Ambassador and the NSW Ambassador for Endometriosis Australia. 

I’ve always been determined to incorporate dance with film, and some teachers have found this passion hard to understand. But in my Masters, I found like-minded people and teachers, and through the extra training and learning I did, I developed the skills I needed to achieve my goals.  I loved making videos and working on projects with other people. 

We have a show at the end of the year that usually comprises of The Wiggles and dancers. And having someone interpret the show is standard for us. But for this one particular show, I was passionate about having all of the show interpreted by children who are Deaf, or children of d/Deaf adults. It was all pre-recorded and we had them on big screens next to the stage. That was really amazing, because we got to work with four children between the ages of eight and 12. And they signed every Wiggle song, and we had it on big screens.

It meant that the signing was included in the show, rather than being separate. I loved that project, and I hope that I can do it again. 

READ MORE FROM EMMA

WATCH EMMA'S WEBINAR
Emma chats with Gabriela Sanchez, UTS Young Alumni Committee member, about being Australia’s first female Wiggle, and singing and dancing her way into the hearts of children around the world whilst using her platform to advocate for sign language and young children in the Deaf community.

Closed captions on YouTube

Emma on LinkedIn
Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.