Dear Wiggles: My Child Loves Dancing… So Why the Nerves?

Leah’s daughter dances like no one’s watching at home - but in class? Total freeze.So Simon and Lachy do what any sensible dads would do… they call in the pros. Tsehay, Lucia, Evie and John drop by with stories from their own dancing childhoods and smart, gentle ways to keep things fun, low-pressure and confidence-boosting.

HOSTS
Simon Pryce
Lachlan Gillespie

GUESTS
Tsehay Hawkins
Lucia Field
Evie Ferris
John Pearce

PRODUCERS
Produced by The Wiggles and Mylk Media
Madeline Joannou
Nick Webb

To submit a question for the ‘Dear Wiggles’ segment, email us at [e-mail] or head to thewiggles.com/podcast to send in a voice note.

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About The Wiggles' Podcast - Wiggle Talk

Think you’ve got parenting figured out? So do Simon and Lachy - until the toddler throws a curveball. On Wiggle Talk - a podcast for parents, Red Wiggle Simon Pryce and Purple Wiggle Lachy Gillespie tackle the tricky, funny, and unexpected moments of raising little humans.

Simon, dad to son Asher, and Lachy, father to twin daughters Lulu and Lottie and stepdad to Jasper, share the highs and lows of parenting in the early years. Alongside their own stories, they welcome guests - from parenting experts to well-known personalities - who bring fresh perspectives and practical wisdom to the table.

Each week also features Dear Wiggles - where listeners send in their questions, the things that keep them up at night, or the dilemmas they’d love another parent’s take on. Simon and Lachy talk it through with honesty, and when needed, they call in expert friends to help provide thoughtful advice and reassurance.

With decades of experience in children’s education and entertainment, The Wiggles bring their trademark warmth and playfulness to conversations on everything from sleep and routines to tantrums, play, and the big feelings that come with family life.

Two dads, no filter, figuring it out as they go.

 

About The Wiggles

For over three decades, The Wiggles have been a beloved cornerstone of children's entertainment, captivating and educating millions of preschoolers—and their parents—around the world. Known for their high-energy performances, catchy songs, and colourful characters, The Wiggles have built a global legacy rooted in the power of music and movement to inspire early childhood learning.

With a mission to make education fun, The Wiggles create content specifically designed for pre-K, preschool, kindergarten, and nursery school age groups. Their unique blend of music, dance, and educational content not only entertains but also helps children understand the world around them. Generations of fans who grew up watching The Wiggles are now sharing that same joy with their own children.

The Wiggles’ impact is truly global: they’ve achieved billions of music streams and YouTube views, and have sold more than 30 million albums and DVDs, along with eight million books worldwide. The Wiggles continue to dominate the preschool entertainment scene, connecting with new generations through various platforms. Their live shows consistently sell out across three continents, and their videos are enjoyed on countless broadcast and digital platforms in over 190 countries.

The Wiggles continue to dominate the preschool entertainment scene, connecting with new generations through various platforms. You can watch them on ABC Kids, Netfli

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Wiggles acknowledged the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia
and their connections to land, see and community. We pay
our respects to elders, past, present and emerging.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Welcome to Wiggle Talk, a podcast for parents. We're figuring
it out right alongside you. My name's Simon. I'm the
Red Wiggle, and.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
My name is Lucky and I'm the Purple Wiggle and Simon. Yes,
it's a deer Weigle segment today. But first I just
wanted to you know, when you normally say you're six
foot four, yes, well I've got sore shoulders.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Saw shoulders have come. Do you know why? Why?

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Well for those very lucky few people, and lucky's probably
a very strong word, but those people in America when
we were there recently. Yeah, I did the lift.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Oh yeah, big strong John.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
You were lifting, well, I was lifting, big strong job.
He's very strong, yes, but quite weighty.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, in a good way, in a very good way.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
And I am still yesterday actually I ran off to
the chiropractor because I've got sore.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Shoulders from Matt Still.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yes, it's actually it's not just a terrible posture or anything.
They're actually quite a little bit inch it really.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
Yeah, and what did he say?

Speaker 3 (01:13):
She said, you really probably what you've done is you've lifted.
I mean it was further. Sorry, I should explain first,
I did the dirty dancing. I've had the time.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
What did you do? In John?

Speaker 3 (01:27):
He ran at me. He was helping me, which shows
how really I didn't not very impressive at all really,
but he put his heads of my shoulders. I grabbed
his hips straight above my head, did a circle. We
did it for about three shows and then I couldn't
do it after that.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
For the rest of the tour. Haven't been the same since.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
No, but she said, what you've done is because you
were catching him in front. You really probably used your
chest as well, which guys do because we just think
we do more chests than back exercises.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
That's another thing.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yes, but I used the wrong muscles and it's really
put I don't know what watched it's called, but they're
sore and I've got to go back to the gym
now and really set my shoulders back and do back
exercises to get them back into position.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Wow, well you need what Lauren recently brought on Amazon. Yes,
Lauren buys a lot of things on Amazon. And it
is a device which you put over your neck and
shoulders and it's got a little sense at the back
that sits in between your shoulder blades and when your
posture drops, it buzzes at you and remind you lift

(02:31):
your lift.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Not like a shot collar, no, just okay.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
And so it reminds you that your posture and I
guess outpostured it all the time now from phones and
every and we all stump forward. So you wear this
thing to remind you do need that you've got to
sit up straight. That was from Amazon.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Okay, I'll go to the gym. Yeah, I'll work on
my what are they called seated rose?

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Seated rose?

Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah you lack pool downs?

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Yeah yeah, it's called your rhomboids are in between your
shoulder blades. It's those muscles you need to pull together.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
I haven't wanted to say anything to John. I feel
batter his fault because he had beautiful techniques.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah he did very well actually, But anyway, or at least,
you don't need your shoulders for this next bit.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
Well, it's that time again. Dear Wiggles is where you
can send us your questions dilemmas, anything.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Now.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
This one is from Leah and she asks, my daughter
loves dancing at home, but she freezes up in class.
How do I help her enjoy it without pushing too hard?

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Now, Lockie, we we're not exactly dances ourselves. No, we're
good movers, very yes, but you know we do know
a few dances. We've got a few in the building
here and they're here with us today. So we thought
we might ask some of our Wiggly friends to help
us out with this question. We've got Lucia, Evie, so
Hi and John to help us out for this one.

(03:48):
Wigle Talk, Talk Talk, Wiggle Talk, It's near Wigles, authorized
by Simon Locky.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
We've got so high in the studio. Now so high.
We've got a question. My daughter loves dancing at home,
but she freezes up in class. How do I help
her enjoy it without pushing too hard? Have you got
any experience from your dancing life?

Speaker 4 (04:06):
Absolutely? I actually think Wiggles help that.

Speaker 5 (04:08):
I used to dance all around the house listening to Wiggles,
and then that's how I got into dance classes.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Did you model your dance moves off any particular weeks?

Speaker 4 (04:18):
Make Dorothy?

Speaker 5 (04:20):
But I think with that question, I think just let
her know that it's all for fun. When you're enjoying it,
other people can feel your joy. So if she knows
that she can feel comfortable to do what she feels.
She feels like she's having fun at home, just mirror
that in class. I know it's hard because there's a
lot of people around you, and you can feel like
maybe you're not keeping up. But if you just enjoy it,
you feel the music, that's the way it works. I
think that's what's great about dances. If you're having fun,

(04:42):
other people can tell that too.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Do you remember going to like a first class and
feeling a bit nervy though or anxious?

Speaker 5 (04:49):
Oh yeah, absolutely feels a new style for sure. I
think dances there's so many different dance styles, and if
there's stuff you do at home maybe different to what
you learn in class, and there can be people there
who we've done it earlier than you and feel a
bit nervous. But I think your dance teacher wants to
teach you that That's what they're there for, is to
teach you how to dance and help you learn. So
I think knowing that you're in a safe environment and

(05:10):
everyone there had to start somehow. Is a good way
to make you feel that you can be there. You
can be there and you can learn how to dance.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
And it's okay not to be getting it right. Part
of the point of the class is to have fun
and to learn, and Evee learns at different stages and
different times. And as long as as you're saying you're
having a good time, you're feeling the music, you're enjoying yourself,
and that's really what it's all about. So get rid
of that expectation about having to do these dance moves correctly.

Speaker 4 (05:35):
Absolutely. That's why there's the phrase dance like no one's watching.

Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yes, that's right. I've taken that to heart.

Speaker 4 (05:42):
Your dance moves are pretty good.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yeah, thank you, sir. That's really kind of you. I've
got my own dance school coming out soon called this
Simon's School of Dance, and that's there's three.

Speaker 4 (05:52):
Moves, Simon says.

Speaker 3 (05:54):
Groo, welcome, Luchia, she's back.

Speaker 6 (05:58):
She's back your favorite guess.

Speaker 3 (06:00):
Oh, yes, what do you think about this one? Luch
My daughter loves dancing at home, but she freezes up
in class. How do I help her enjoy it? Without
pushing too hard.

Speaker 6 (06:11):
Yes, that was actually exactly me when I was I
think I was like four.

Speaker 4 (06:17):
Yeah, I was four.

Speaker 7 (06:18):
My godmother had taken me to a dance school to
attempt to go into class, and it just did not happen.
I was two, nervous, I was crying, didn't want to
go in. So then mom took me to a new
dance school. I actually asked her about this before to
get her opinion on it, because I don't really remember
when I was four, But she said she brought me in.

(06:41):
She didn't make a big deal of it, you know,
very calm. She introduced me to the teacher, Miss Donna.
She said, I missed Donna. This is Lucia. Miss Donna said, Hi, Lucia,
let's go to class. She took my hand, and it worked.
I don't know if it was.

Speaker 6 (06:56):
Because she didn't make a big deal about it or
it was like everyone just seemed to really come ball.
I just went in and somehow that that really worked
for me.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
Is sometimes making maybe making a bigger deal about going
to class it actually creates too much anxiety. Yeah, and
also downplaying it for sure.

Speaker 6 (07:14):
It also helped on the other side, when I did
go in I met so many lovely friends of mine.
I'm still friends with a lot of them to this day.
But yeah, having it just very calm, not feeling like
they're pressured to do anything. And I'd actually like to
get your opinion on this. If you do see them
like dancing at home, would you say to them you
should you should go to class with this or would

(07:35):
you How did you approach it?

Speaker 2 (07:37):
I found with Asher, if he's something that's interests him
and he can do quite well. If I actually make
note of that, he actually reverts.

Speaker 3 (07:46):
Actually he doesn't, yeah, because.

Speaker 2 (07:48):
At the moment he doesn't really want to stand out, Yeah,
and so he's happy to do something. So I actually
find that I down, I make sure he knows that
what he's doing, he's doing good job, but not actually
bring too much attention to it because he actually doesn't
want to be eyes on him at the moment.

Speaker 4 (08:05):
I relate to that.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, I think I was probably very much the same.

Speaker 8 (08:10):
Very interesting you, Evie.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
Welcome to the pod.

Speaker 4 (08:17):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
We called the pod. You can call the pod too.

Speaker 3 (08:20):
Yes, we've got a question about dancing, which thought you
would be a have some insight.

Speaker 2 (08:25):
But my daughter, did you know that Evie professional. I
can't even say it because I don't know what that means.
A professional ballet dancer with.

Speaker 3 (08:31):
The Australian Ballet. How many years nine years? Nine years?
Or Evie this one says. My daughter loves dancing at home,
but she freezes up in class. How can I help
her enjoy without pushing too hard? So do you have
any memories of your young self going to class for
the first time or what that felt like.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
I don't remember the very first time, but I did
love going to class. But it can be It can
be different every day going into that environment, and can
be different for every child as well. I think having
the choice obviously was always really helpful. If I wasn't
feeling up to class and I was like, oh, the

(09:10):
pressure to keep going to the dance class and my
parents have organized and I love dance class and I
love dancing, but for some reason, I don't feel like
it or I'm having some big feelings and I don't
know what it's about. And kind of just having that
pressure off made it easier for me to be like,
I can go and I do want to go, instead
of this is the schedule, this is you know, this

(09:32):
is your Friday afternoon time to go to class. It's like, oh,
you can go, or you can stay home, or you
can do that.

Speaker 2 (09:40):
I feel like you're forced to and then you more
than likely will want to go anywhere. Yeah, because you're
making that choice. Yeah, yeah, that's a good point.

Speaker 1 (09:48):
And just that kind of gentle encouragement of Mum will
she'll drop me off and she'll be there when I'm finished,
or if I need to come home sooner, there's that option.
I think just making it a really kind of open
environment of I can go because I love it and
I want to go, but if it's not for me today,
that there are options around that, and that there's someone

(10:11):
at the door who will just take me into class
and we'll have a good time there, and like I
know them and they know my mom. It was just
I think having kind of a real community made dance
a really space environment for me.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
I find that really interesting because we tried a little
ballet class with the girls very little. That was when
the parent was in the room and they didn't really
do much, so we stopped that. But I find that interesting.
Now it's going to all be different at each each age,
but the girls dance around like their ballerinas, but then
to put them in a specific ballet class as opposed
to another style. Is I find that really interesting choice?

Speaker 2 (10:49):
How do you?

Speaker 3 (10:49):
I mean, I suppose you just The answer is you
just try a few.

Speaker 2 (10:52):
Different styles and then maybe it's an age thing, isn't
it that if it's too soon, you could try again
a year later. You have a very different to do.
We did not want to bar the why am I here?
And so we we didn't force it, but that's it.

Speaker 3 (11:14):
We just left the dance of the ninja. Well, I think,
did you start with ballet specific?

Speaker 1 (11:21):
No?

Speaker 6 (11:22):
I did all.

Speaker 8 (11:23):
I did them all?

Speaker 3 (11:24):
Did I think?

Speaker 1 (11:25):
The very first thing I did was just movement. I
think I was three, so still at that stage, and
you are nailing it, you know, and yeah, there is
a space.

Speaker 4 (11:39):
For that, there is. You've made it.

Speaker 3 (11:45):
The okay, So you just did dance more general before
getting into specific.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
This is a ballet.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
And then there are all the different styles of classes.
And I loved them all, and I think, yeah, again,
having options of how you can dance and what styles
and everything, and sometimes actually having my parents in the room,
I didn't Yeah, I didn't want them in the room. Yeah,
I wanted them right there.

Speaker 2 (12:12):
Yeah, yeah, that's interesting.

Speaker 3 (12:19):
Well, Johnny, we've been asking our wonderful wiggily dances. My
daughter loves dancing at home, but freezes up in class.
How do I help her without pushing too hard?

Speaker 8 (12:27):
Oh it's a great one.

Speaker 3 (12:29):
Did you dance early? Did you go to a school?

Speaker 8 (12:31):
No, I've never been to dance lessons, went to I
was on the street. But yeah, I can definitely relate.
I think freezing up in classes common. I used to
like dancing up the back so no one could see,
and I guess seeing everyone in front of me, that
was probably where I would sit and me and my
brother would would do the same thing. But we ended

(12:52):
up teaching dance classes before we're taking classes, so I
feel like we didn't take it too seriously, so we just.

Speaker 2 (12:57):
Had more fun with it.

Speaker 1 (12:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (12:58):
I think that's the main thing, just having fun, don't
take it too seriously.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
Yeah, so that is a good point. Have fun with it,
and also if you're feeling a bit vulnerable, then just
maybe sit back a bit and and hopefully you're in
an environment with your teacher and the rest of your
class that they allow you to find your space and
not forcing you to be somewhere you don't want to be.
I mean that's probably the big key to you. You
don't want to You need to find the right school
and class it suits your child's needs and the teacher

(13:25):
that allow you to be yourself.

Speaker 8 (13:27):
Yeah, exactly. Just have fun, don't take it too seriously.
Everyone's learning at the same time.

Speaker 2 (13:32):
You just have funds, which is a lot more concise
than the girls.

Speaker 1 (13:37):
Yes, I just had a.

Speaker 2 (13:40):
Well, lucky, that'll teach you a few wiggles to come
wandering past the podcast pass room. They get wrangled into
answer some questions, but they were great.

Speaker 3 (13:48):
They were thank you for their help. They've all been dancers.

Speaker 2 (13:52):
Yeah that's right. I mean, and you had a dance year.
I remember you.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
Had to dance here?

Speaker 2 (13:57):
Ye, talk about that old to dance here? Yes, I
was still very quie right.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
Sorry, Yes, a dance here when I was an adult.

Speaker 2 (14:06):
Yes, at drama school, yes.

Speaker 3 (14:08):
Before drama school for dramas, before getting.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
In and it's held you in goodstead.

Speaker 3 (14:14):
Well yes, it was very good.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Yeah, very good for your confidence actually yeah, yeah, very good, excellent.
I think that whole physical awareness is just great for confidence, isn't,
which is what dancing and gymnastics and all those kind
of activities can do. But that's it for today. But
if you have a question for us or a parenting dilemma,
leave us a voice message at the wigels dot com
slash podcast or send us an email to podcasts at

(14:38):
the wiggels dot com dot au.

Speaker 3 (14:40):
Don't forget to rate and review us so other parents
can find us too. Thanks for listening to wiggle Talk,
a podcast for parents, So thanks everyone. By