YELLOWKNIFE - Sixteen children from Whati showed off their jigging talent at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife on March 11.

The children, under the supervision of Lena Gargan, have been practising together since the summer.

JJ Football, Nicole Nitsiza, Chelsey Nitsiza, and Albert Jr. Nitsiza of Whati led a Sunday afternoon crowd at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre in Yellowknife in a drum dance on March 11. - Christine Grimard/NNSL photo

Gargan, a former teacher at Yellowknife's Mildred Hall school, is now a special needs assistant at Mezi Community School in Whati. She started the jigging group to give children in the community something fun to do.

'I was thinking it was nice to do something for the kids,' said Gargan. 'I want to do more things with them.'

Cindy Nitsiza's three children, Aaron, 9, Olivia, 12, and Albert Jr. Nitsiza, 14, have all been taking part in the classes.

Nitsiza said the jigging classes have been great for the children, providing them with something to do and something to look forward to.

'They were being responsible for it, arriving five to 10 minutes early to practice,' said Nitsiza. 'They even put it on the calendar.'

Olivia said she started the classes because she wanted to dance, and she was especially hooked by the possibility they might be able to travel and perform.

'I thought it was really cool and fun to be performing in Yellowknife,' she said.

Gargan spent the past few months fundraising for the trip with the students, raising $500 through a bake sale and a rummage sale. She also received help from the Tli Cho government to fund the rest of the trip. While in Yellowknife, the children were treated to a movie, a trip to the swimming pool and dinner at Pizza Hut.

Gargan said she's hoping to take another trip with the students in the summer to give them something else to look forward to.