Calcutta: Shillong took its baby steps in Latin dance and kizomba with a series of workshops organised by Wan'z Dance Evolution recently.

While Calcutta-based instructor Hitesh Teckchandani conducted the salsa and kizomba workshops, choreographer-dancer Priyam Bose conducted a contemporary workshop.

Salsa in a well-known Latin dance form, kizomba is a dance form originating in Angola.

The founder of Wan'z Dance Evolution, Wanbetbha Shympliang, said, "Kizomba is comparatively new in Shillong. I have been teaching some salsa but kizomba we had never done before. We were lucky that sir took this initiative."

Teckchandani, known as 'The Salsawala' is a Latin dance instructor with over two decades of dancing experience. He has taught across Asia and Europe for over 12 years.

Teckchandani said, "It doesn't matter who you are, what you are, where you are from, what you do. All that matters is that you want to salsa. Once you start stepping you will be surprised to find how easy it is. Salsa gives one confidence, health, and changes one as a person to a great extent. It brings the world together."

He said, "I have been teaching kizomba in Calcutta and I wanted to introduce it in the Northeast. Wanbetbha and I talked about kizomba making inroads in Calcutta and decided to do the same in Shillong. I believe anybody can dance and this is my effort to spread the joy."

"It was a great experience to met Sir to learn kizomba. All the students enjoyed the workshop," Shympliang added.

Teckchandani said, "The Latin dances need more visibility in the region. I am now looking forward to doing workshops in Manipur and Assam as well.

"I look to changing mindsets through dance. Dancing with a partner promotes male-female equality and helps to develop comfort levels," he added.

Contemporary dancer Bose began with body conditioning techniques and went on to demonstrate floor techniques and other nuances. "I was very pleased to see the attentiveness of the students in the workshop. Their enthusiasm was infectious and I am looking forward to doing more in the Northeast to take the dance forward."

As part of his endeavour to promote the dance form in the east and Northeast, Teckchandani is organising an exclusively kizomba festival in Calcutta from January 19 to 21, with a special participation discount to students to the Northeast who sign up through Shympliang.