Cebu City Jail - Dancing Inmates

Friday 17 September 2010
Michael Jackson was a fan of the more than 1,500 Filipino inmates who performed the choreography for his video "Thriller" in 2007 and created a viral hit.

Jackson watched the videos of Cebu Provincial Detention And Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) prisoners during breaks from his tour rehearsals for "This Is It," his choreographer Travis Payne said.

Payne recently contacted Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, and arranged to make a surprise visit to meet the performers in the high security prison, the Philippines' Manila Bulletin reported.

Payne spent two hours on Sun., Jan. 17, and Mon., Jan. 18, teaching the dancers the routines from Jackson's posthumous "This Is It" film.

"The Drill" is the last scene Payne and Jackson worked on together before the pop icon died in June. The clip was released over the weekend, days before the Tues., Jan. 26 release of the "This Is It" DVD.

The CPDRC performance videos of Jackson's "Thriller," "Dangerous," and the Village People's "Y.M.C.A," among others, are all well done.

But Payne, who worked with Jackson for more than 10 years, was able to take their performance to new heights. Their rendition of Jackson's "They Don't Really Care About Us" is comparable to the scene in "This Is It."

The "This Is It" version is a highlight of the film. It features a group of dancers who were digitally replicated to appear as an army. Payne's work with the CPDRC men brought this virtual sequence to real life.

The inmates were not initially receptive to participating in the choreographed dances, said Bryon Garcia, a security consultant for the prison. He suggested the activity to keep the prisoners busy during their downtime, the Manila Bulletin reported.

According to the New York Times, Bryon decided to post videos of the prisoners dancing online to publicize some of the positive changes he implemented at Cebu since joining the staff in 2004.


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The History of Cebu

Originally, Cebu was called Sugbo. Cebuanos lived in stilt houses made of bamboo, wood and nipa. Men were extensively tattooed and women were lavishly ornamented with gold jewelries, silks and lip color.

Prior to Spanish colonization, the city was the center of trade in the south, where Chinese ships arrived with silks and porcelains which they exchanged for honey, gold, wood and spices from Mollucas. Unreasonable trade restrictions of the colonizing Spanish caused the rapid decline of Cebu as a trading port. However, in 19th century, restrictions were lifted and brought back the commercial life of the city.

The Spanish troops headed by Ferdinand Magellan arrived Cebu in 1521 with a friendly reception from the island villagers. He made friends with Rajah Humabon and converted most of the locals to Christians including the leader’s family. But when Magellan reached the narrow strait to Mactan Island, the reception was not similar. He encountered a negative response and had a hard time entering the area. Lapu Lapu, the chief, resisted his entry and fought against the Spanish troops leaving Magellan lifeless on the ground. Cebu’s invasion was delayed until Legazpi and Fray Andres de Urdaneta arrived in 1566.

The historic Fort San Pedro has served many purposes to the Cebuanos. It was constructed in 1565 upon the arrival of Legazpi on the ship San Pedro but remained unfinished until 1738. Originally intended to protect the island from Muslim raiders, the port also served as the barracks and defense post of the US army during the American occupation; a prison camp during the 3 year Japanese invasion; the city zoo; and now a small park. For many centuries, renovations have removed the waterfront lying few blocks from the Fort.

The eastern province of Cebu is part of Philippines. The history of Cebu is very interesting. Earlier Cebu was known as Sugbo and its inhabitants lived in bamboo houses with their distinct architecture. The people were very ornate in their own way, tattoos, gold jewelry, silks and lip colors were used with abandon. The history of Cebu reveals that at one point of time it was the trade center and Chinese ships laden with goodies like silks and porcelains arrived with unfailing regularity. The goodies from the ships were exchanged for articles like gold, honey, wood and spices from Mollucas.

With the arrival of the Spaniards, things changed for Cebu. From Cebu's history, it is known that Ferdinand Magellan with Spanish troops arrived in 1521 AD. Here the Spaniards got a good reception and most of the local villagers converted to Christianity including the ruler, Rajah Humabon. But reaching the slender Strait to Mactan Island, the Spaniards encountered stiff resistance from the locals. The process of colonizing Cebu started with the arrival of Legazpi and Fray Andres de Urdaneta in 1566 AD. The Spanish colonial rule continued for some time and eventually with the passage of time Cebu started coming out on her own. The municipality of Cebu was started in was started in 1905. Cebu was occupied by the Americans for some time , but now with all this behind her, Cebu is one of the most busy and thriving cities of the world.
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