Choreographer Terence Lewis is set to conduct dance master classes across eight cities in the country, starting Saturday. Through these workshops, he hopes to remove the stigma and insecurity attached to taking up dance as a career option.

Lewis became popular as a mentor and judge on Zee TV's "Dance India Dance", and he has imparted dance lessons to many people through his intitute Terence Lewis Academy.

"Five years ago when I took up 'Dance India Dance', my prime objective was to bring respectability to dance. Many dancers, choreographers during our time, who had other career options and who wished to passionately take up dance, couldn't because of the stigma and the insecurity attached to it, " Lewis said in a statement.

"Having achieved that milestone, now I wish to build on a large community of people who not just appreciate dance but understand the need to take dance as way of life, as a way to well being for mind, body and soul, " added the choreographer, who believes in the philosophy of ABCD - Any Body Can Dance.

Through his master classes, which end Dec 23, he wants to motivate people to include dance as a part of their lifestyle.

The master class kicks off Saturday in Mumbai and will be held in Pune (Nov 18), Indore (Nov 24), Baroda (Dec 9), Kolkata (Dec 11), Jaipur (Dec 15), New Delhi (Dec 16) and Bengaluru (Dec 23) .