Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall
Monski Mouse
Genre: Children's Theatre, Dance, Interactive
Venue: Assembly George Square Gardens
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Returning to the Edinburgh Fringe after four sell-out seasons since 2022, Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall is aimed at the 0-5 audience. This show covers what the title suggests and a good bit more. You join Australian Artist/DJ/Producer/Writer and Mum, Monski Mouse, and her dancers as they guide you and your wee plus one through a high-energy and varied set of bopping beats.
Review
This show is not just disco music with children running riot. Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall manages to combine a mix of children’s classics – think the conga and sleeping bunnies – with retro tunes parents will enjoy. It’s a truly interactive show which has children (and parents) roaring like dinosaurs and crawling as lions.
As well as the cleverly curated mix of songs with guided moves and more freestyle options, the visuals of the performance are thoroughly thought through. Monski Mouse herself stands behind her stripy deck, lit so that her mouse-eared silhouette is tripled, giving you a full view of her dance moves. Her role was not that of an impassive DJ – every moment I got to look, she was dancing or interacting with her audience. This worked well to offer a constant guide to dance moves for the less confident dancers, even when there weren’t specific moves to a song. Other child-friendly touches included an area scattered with pillows and blankets, for those needing a break from the dance floor.
Monski Mouse was supported by two sportswear-clad dancers down on the dance floor from another show, Total Sports Mania. They provided an enthusiastic extra layer of interaction and encouragement for audience participation, with a wee crowd of children standing agog in front of them for most of the show.
The performance was well paced, transitioning between faster bopping songs and some (slightly!) calmer songs, all pulled together with engaging introductions. The lighting brings a disco vibe of colour changes while still providing enough light to find your little one if they dash off into the baby melee. Additionally, the music is suitably loud enough to feel like a disco, but it’s still possible to stand near a speaker without deafening you or your child.
It’s easy to see why this show has been a sell-out in previous years – it’s everything you want in a children’s show at the Fringe: interactive, memorable, a bit wacky and truly joyful. It’s the sort of show your kids will want to go back to year on year. It deserves an Excellent – a polished children’s show that engages wee ones and parents alike, leaving everyone thoroughly worn out and smiling.
