Dancer Zoe Karatzovalis gets moment in the spotlight with The Wiggles

Like many Australian children, Zoe Karatzovalis grew up watching The Wiggles. She and her brother Kosta would watch The Wiggles at least once a day, mimicking the dance moves in their living room. Pointing her fingers, wiggling her body, or stomping her feet, these family concerts ignited a lifelong passion for dance and performance in the Port Lincoln toddler.

Young Zoe dreamed of one day joining The Wiggles on stage. Fast forward to December 2024, and after years of pursuing a professional dance career, Zoe found herself working with The Wiggles. One day at a concert in Newcastle, the 25-year-old was asked to put on the iconic yellow skivvy.

“Going from wearing a dinosaur costume to being out in public and people knowing my name, it’s just so crazy and surreal,” she explained. “Anthony [Field, the original Blue Wiggle] introduced me as Zoe Wiggle, and I walked on stage, and everyone was waving to me like ‘Oh, Zoe, Zoe’ — which is exactly what I had always dreamed of.”

Growing up in the coastal community of Port Lincoln on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, Zoe was a natural performer. “In a family with Kosta, who has autism and was obsessed with The Wiggles, the Karatzovalis family watched and learned from The Wiggles daily,” she said. As soon as Zoe showed an interest in dance, her mother enrolled her in the local ballet school. Years of dance made her comfortable on stage, and she was cast in Port Lincoln High School’s pantomime production of The Wizard of Oz. “I just remember being that scarecrow as much as I could,” she said. “I became that scarecrow inside and out, and then I got the pantomime award, which was really cool.”

The transition from school pantomime scarecrow to wearing the costume of Dorothy the Dinosaur or Wags the Dog took some time and effort. Zoe moved from Port Lincoln to Sydney, attending Brent Street Performing Arts School, where she completed her Diploma in Performing Arts. “I was able to learn from these amazing artists and professionals in the industry, which was really cool, but also really hard work,” she said. Like many performers, 2020 was a tough year for Zoe. Dance and performance opportunities were hard to come by, and she almost gave up on her dream of being a performer. Before the first lockdown, she began working as a support worker in the disability sector, something Zoe had always been passionate about. “Growing up with Kosta… I just love him so much and want to bring joy to all people with autism,” she said. One way to share joy was through performance, and in 2022, Zoe opened Infinite Abilities Performing Arts, a dance studio for people of all abilities. “I’m giving these amazing students the opportunity to perform who thought they would never get to go on stage, or win a trophy, a medal, or dance in front of thousands of people,” she said.

After a busy year at the studio, Zoe saw an opportunity that could also give her a chance to pursue a personal goal. “I saw the audition in May 2023, and I thought, if there was one place I wanted to start again, it was The Wiggles,” she said. After securing an audition, Zoe wore pigtails and a purple t-shirt, in honour of her favourite Wiggle, Jeff, and danced her heart out. “I was competing against 160 people, and my name is Zoe, and they were going alphabetically, so, of course, I was the last one to be called,” she said. It wasn’t long before Zoe heard the news she had always dreamed of. “I got a call the next day, and they asked if I wanted to play Dorothy the Dinosaur in a Halloween TV special… and I was like, ‘Absolutely!’”

Zoe worked with The Wiggles as a temporary performer for over a year, primarily playing Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, and Henry the Octopus. But last December, while working as an understudy, she had the opportunity to step on stage as a temporary Wiggle. “It was absolutely the most exciting, amazing, and nerve-wracking job and experience of my life,” she said. “Being able to say that I am now a Yellow Wiggle, I don’t even know how to describe it, it’s just so surreal.” Zoe recently returned to her hometown and her high school to speak to the class of 2024, and while writing her speech, she finally had time to stop and reflect on it all. “Everything you’re doing now is going to take you to where you’re meant to be, even if you think you’ve taken 200 billion detours along the way, it will take you to where you’re really meant to be,” she said. “It might take years, it might take months, it might take days, but just trust the process, and the universe is working for you.”

Editor’s note (January 9, 2025): This story has been updated to clarify that Zoe Karatzovalis’s position with The Wiggles is as a temporary team member, rather than a permanent addition.