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INUVIK - A visiting Yellowknifer is in town to spread a bit of knowledge about salsa dance.

Yellowknife businessman Raza Moghal is in town this week on a course at Aurora College and decided he wanted to share his passion for dance with others.

Yellowknife's Raza Moghal is a salsa dance instructor who is hosting a workshop in town this week. The three-night battery of dancing will give newcomers a chance to learn something new and meet new people at the same time. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

"It's a great way to meet new people," said Moghal.

He is hosting a three-night workshop that concludes tonight.

Moghal is originally from Toronto and has lived in Yellowknife for the past two years.

Back in Toronto, Moghal was deeply involved in the dancing scene - both as a student and out on the town.

He also has experience teaching classes in the Atlantic provinces.

Moghal said teaching dance in Yellowknife was a challenge because of the limited number of places to meet and dance.

"It's a real social kind of activity," he said.

"There is a lot of eye contact and physical contact as well."

For the students of Moghal, they can purchase instructional CDs from him during his classes.

"I have a friend in Toronto who is an instructor," he said.

"He wanted to help me teach people in the North, so he set me up with some CDs."

Moghal said that teaching others is the best way to learn the moves as well.

"Seeing others learning how to dance motivates me to keep learning as well," he said.

He said learning dance can be easy if the person is willing and open to new things.

Making people feel comfortable when learning something new is another challenge.

Moghal said he likes to encourage conversation between the participants, which helps them ease into the dance.

He said he tries to teach his pupils as much as possible about the dance, even going into the origins.

Moghal said people dance so they feel emotions and can let loose of their every day routines.

"It's good to keep a balance between work and life," he said.

It's not uncommon for people to get the courage to dance from alcohol. Moghal said the important thing to remember is to keep it in moderation.

"You can get sloppy if you've had too much to drink," he said.

"Some people like a drink to get themselves going, which can be okay."

Moghal said with dance, the person is able to feel movement all over, unlike everyday life and even some sports.

"It's activity that gets you in your body," he said.

"We spend a lot of time in our heads."

He spoke of his experiences at a Dene gathering, where he witnessed traditional dancing.

"There are many similarities between Latin and aboriginal dances," he said.

Even though most of his classes continue for weeks, Moghal was confident he could make progress with the Inuvik pupils after only three sessions.