Philippines: Cebu's Dancing Prisoners

While almost everyone has seen the YouTube video of the prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," few articles have looked at the wider ramifications of what appears at first to be a superficial exhibition. Apparently, the prisoners love the exercise routine and the administration enjoys the worldwide publicity, to the point where dance exhibitions by prisoners are now taking place near city hall in Cebu City, and they might even perform in the upcoming Cebu Sinulog festival this weekend. There's the small matter of security, but it seems like everyone wants the prisoners to join in one of the wildest and most colorful festivals in Southeast Asia.

YouTube footage, uploaded in mid-July, shows the prisoners dancing to the Michael Jackson song "Thriller." It has been viewed more than 10 million times and become one of the most popular clips ever on the video-sharing Web site. The skit features Niere, playing Jackson, and Resane, as the "girl," along with more than 1,500 other inmates performing in the background.

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.

International Herald Tribune