Quantcast

Douglaton 5-year-old to dance with The Wiggles

Douglaton 5-year-old to dance with The Wiggles
By Nathan Duke

A Douglaston kindergarten student’s savvy Internet skills have set the stage for her to dance with the stars on national television next week on a popular children’s show.

Angelena Bougiamas, 5, who attends Douglaston’s PS 98 for kindergarten, was chosen from hundreds of children nationwide to dance alongside The Wiggles, a popular family entertainment group from Australia, after uploading her photo and creating a profile on the group’s Web site.

Bougiamas’ head will be superimposed on a dancing body, making her the fifth member of the group during a national broadcast of 24-hour children’s network PBS Kids Sprout’s “Wiggly Waffle” show April 26 at 8 a.m.

“She’s been counting down on the calendar,” said John Bougiamas, Angelena’s father. “Every day it gets closer.

Bougiamas said he, his wife Toula and son Constantine, 3, will watch Angelena dance along with The Wiggles during the broadcast before dropping her off at school.

The girl was chosen by Sprout after she and her father created an account with a user name and password at sproutonline.com, which acts as the official site for the TV show.

“Through her own exploration, she found this contest,” her father said. “She loved downloading photos of herself and manipulating them. She’s very interested in computers. It’s pretty impressive.”

Her face will be placed on an animated body as she dances to “Get Ready to Wiggle.” She will be introduced by Juicebox, a character on the show, and her name will be shown at the bottom of the screen.

The song, which will last for a little more than one minute, is set to air at some point during the 30-minute show.

The Wiggles have performed more than 300 shows during the past five years in the United States as well as an additional 200 shows across four continents. The Australian group formed in 1991.

The band has sold millions of copies of CDs and DVDs worldwide, while several amusement parks in Australia and the United States have developed their own Wiggles sections.

Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 718-260-4566.