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 Sound man Michael Doyle takes a time out during a particularly rousing tune to dance circles with his honey, Molly McClure, at the Iqaluit Square, Tuesday night.
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A giant circle of more than 300 Iqalummiut and climate change symposium participants surrounded the band at the Iqaluit Square. When the time came, groups of smiling dancers moved into the circle to jig or square dance or clap their hands.
The event was held to officially open Iqaluit Square.
Kids were everywhere, throwing stones in the air, or holding hands with adults, dancing in the circle.
Emily Kootoo and Noolie Peter watched the giant square dance with smiles.
"It's very nice to see," said Peter.
Visitors and Iqalummiut were busy not only dancing, but shaking hands, with the most commonly heard question throughout the evening being "where are you from?"
The music abruptly stopped at one point and people looked around confused.
But have no fear! Deborah Shnay, from Calgary, saved the day, reconnecting the two giant extension cords running out to the band, which had been tripped over unintentionally by a merrymaker.
"I've been having a great time," said the hero. "The people here are amazing."
Shnay, who was in the city for the symposium, had even been invited to try muktuk at a local resident's home.
"It was good," she said, "very fresh."
Later on in the evening, the crowd spiralled around the circle in a giant dancing line, and after spanning the circumference of Iqaluit square, hundreds of revellers moved toward its centre, toward the band, throwing their hands in the air and screaming.
It prompted Keenainak to say afterwards: "that's the biggest square dance I ever seen."
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