VICTORIA -- If Gurdeep had visited Vancouver Island before, you likely wouldn’t have known it.

“Before, Gurdeep was living in his own world,” he smiles.

Perhaps he would have composed something about the capital.

“Before I was more interested in writing poetry,” Gurdeep explains.

He had always expressed himself through movement too, but would only share it with a few.

“Just to show to my close friends or family,” Gurdeep says.

But then, videos of Gurdeep performing exuberant Bhangra dances in the Yukon went viral, attracting millions of views.

Just this summer, no one expected to see Gurdeep dancing on the lawns of the B.C. legislature, but now that he’s posted a video of just that, more than 90,000 people know he’s here.

Since that first video, Gurdeep has danced with a busker on Government Street, in the waves at Long Beach, with a surfboard at Chesterman Beach, near Tofino, and at the lighthouse in Ucluelet.

Gurdeep is vacationing on Vancouver Island from his home in the Yukon, where he teaches Bhangra dance and shares videos on his social media channels whenever a moment moves him.

“Whenever I feel like I just need to dance,” he laughs.

Gurdeep first learned the moves before he became a Canadian while growing up in northern India, where the dance was first devised by farmers.

“It was tough, hard work. Those farmers, they needed joy,” he explains, showing how the choreography can be used to pick and gather crops. “They added these moves to (add) fun and entertainment to their farming activity.”

Gurdeep says his videos have allowed him to connect with a diverse group of people around the world.

“I started learning about their world,” he says. “And that expanded my world too.”

Gurdeep says those interactions have allowed him to stop “living in his own world.”

“Now I am feeling like a universal Gurdeep!” he laughs. “That is the transformation!”

Although he’s not working during his 10 days on the island, Gurdeep says he’s committed to sharing his videos. He’s hoping to balance out some of the bad news that is constantly being shared.

“When there’s darkness and then there’s sunshine, we value the sunshine,” he smiles. “So I’m spreading joy and positivity! We are all one. We are all equal. Love your neighbour and everything will be perfect!”