There are a handful of Australians who can hold a room of four-year-olds spellbound. Emma Watkins is unquestionably one of them. And come 2027, she’ll be doing it from a fictional country town called Spudson, in a brand-new ABC Kids series that has all the makings of a household staple.
The premise is simple. Emma opens a dance club in a sleepy regional town, and four local kids walk through the door expecting pirouettes and pop steps. What they find instead is friendship, mischief, and the slow realisation that a dance floor can fix almost anything.
The kids are the heart of it. There’s Madi, who is absolutely going to be prime minister one day. Milo, a wallflower with hidden depths. Albie, a clumsy pocket-rocket with more enthusiasm than coordination. And Chika, the style queen whose moves do most of the talking. It’s a cast that feels real – and that’s no accident.
Expect grounded humour, big-hearted storylines, and a parade of adult cameos that will keep grown-ups watching long after the kids have wandered off to practise their own routines.
“Created with love,” says Watkins, “not just for children, but for families everywhere.” If the promise of watching small humans learn that dancing badly together beats dancing perfectly alone doesn’t sell it, we’re not sure what will.
Emma’s Dance Club premieres on ABC Kids and ABC iview in 2027.
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