Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) is no longer just a maximum security prison but has turned its facilities into a dance studio famous for “The Dancing Inmates”. After their “Thriller” performance in 2007 that brought them to Time Magazine’s most popular viral video list, the accused bad boys returned to You Tube in orange jumpsuits and black shirts performing Michael Jackson’s “This Is It”.
Michael Jackson’s long-time choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid came to visit and joined them in another You Tube phenomenon. You should watch them. The guys were having fun in their stay, not to mention the entire exercise was keeping them fit without relying much on joint supplements. Makes the entire detention period worthwhile.
If you ever wonder how this group of 1500 inmates was formed, provincial security advisor Byron Garcia derived the inspiration from The Shawshank Redemption wherein Mozart’s Figaro played all over the prison.
I was with a group of kids last Sunday for a balloon-twisting lesson. Ralph, the balloon-twist guy, taught us basic animal shapes and other stuff like swords and flowers. Watching him do it was somewhat scary as we didn’t want balloons to pop right before our faces. But somehow the experience turned out to be okay.