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Video of Whitehorse mayor wearing Sikh turban and performing bhangra dance goes viral

Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis receives a bhangra dance lesson from Gurdeep Pandher. Photo from Gurdeep Pandher/Facebook.
Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis receives a bhangra dance lesson from Gurdeep Pandher. Photo from Gurdeep Pandher/Facebook.

Footage of Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis busting a dance move with a local Sikh citizen in city council chambers has gone viral, with more than one million views.

Gurdeep Pandher recently shared this Facebook video of his encounter with Curtis. According to Huffington Post Canada, the video was made after Pandher reached out to the mayor over email, asking if he would like a Punjabi bhangra dance lesson.

Pandher, a Canadian citizen who has called Whitehorse home since 2012, soon received an enthusiastic reply from the mayor about the offer.

“This is without question the coolest thing I’ve ever been asked to do … ever!” Curtis wrote back. “I love it, a great big ‘YES please’ let’s do this.”

Originally posted last Friday, the now-viral footage has gained positive international attention and shows Curtis being fitted with a Sikh turban. He is then seen performing a number of bhangra dance moves, with the help of Pandher’s expert guidance.

Speaking to Huffington Post Canada, Curtis admitted to being “out of my comfort zone a little bit because I haven’t got the physique to be doing it.” But overall, he described the experience as a “history lesson in culture and customs. It was quite enlightening. It was quite enjoyable.”

In an interview with CBC News, Pandher thanked Mayor Curtis for being a good sport and applauded his willingness toward showing off Whitehorse’s diversity.

“I feel that when we know about different cultures, we connect better and it brings us together,” Pandher said.

“And as Canada is a multicultural country, I strongly believe this is the best way to deal with the hate and racism.”