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A video of Filipino prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in bright orange uniforms has become an instant worldwide hit on the video sharing website YouTube.
Inmates perform the coordinated dance routine as part of their morning exercise ritual at a prison in Cebu, central Philippines.
Clips of the men grooving in harmony for the famous Thriller sequence, complete with zombie moves, is a huge hit, attracting over one million views since it was posted last week.
This month, the prison authorities tried to take their show, in a
manner of speaking, on the road. Byron Garcia, a security consultant
for the prison, tried to enter a troupe of 100 inmates in the Sinulog
festival this Sunday, a lavish street-dancing festival in honor of the
child Jesus and the biggest tourist event in Cebu.
Citing security concerns - 70 percent of the prison's inmates were
convicted of serious crimes like murder, rape and narcotics trafficking
- Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who oversees the festival, rejected the prison's
bid. He told reporters: "Not even if Michael Jackson" - the real one -
"joins them."
But inside the prison, the beat goes on.
Inmates spend up to four hours a day practicing a growing repertoire of
more than two dozen dances. In addition, those who signed up for
auditions and made the troupe have continued rehearsing their Sinulog
choreography. Although they have been barred from performing at the
site of the main festival events, they are planning shows within the
prison itself. The prison is giving away 200 free tickets to each of
three shows Friday.
Visitors have their pictures taken with the prisoners from the Cebu
Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) following a
dance performance at the prison in Cebu City, south of Manila April 26,
2008. The central Philippine island of Cebu is renowned as a holiday
destination but these days it's the provincial jail not the balmy
beaches that's drawing in the visitors. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside
(PHILIPPINES)
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