Filipino prisoners, whose original "Thriller" dance video became a Youtube video sensation, reprise their dance to perform a Michael Jackson tribute.
MSNBC reports that the 1,500 filipino inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center decided to organize a Michael Jackson tribute after hearing of the singer's death. What better way to do it than to re-create their original rendition of the dance from Michael Jackson's Thriller?
After being told of Michael Jackson's death on Thursday, the 1,500 inmates hit the yard to begin rehearsals on "Thriller", practicing for nine hours Friday night. Rehearsals continued into the wee hours of Saturday morning, as the filipino prisoners worked tirelessly, taking breaks only to eat or when it rained in an effort to prepare for the Michael Jackson tribute.
Emotions were running high as the inmates prepared for the tribute. Inmate Wenjiel Resane, who plays the role of Michael Jackson's girlfriend, said "[she] felt sad because we lost our idol."
Filipino prisoner Crisanto Nieri, 38, who dances the part of Michael Jackson in "Thriller" said he was feeling a little extra stress. Nieri, who is serving seven years on drug charges, said "[e]ven as a kid, he was already my idol. I am happy that our video became famous, but I feel some pressure to perform well."
When the filipino prisoners were ready to perform their tribute to Michael Jackson, 700 Cebuanos and foreign tourists attended and watched from a second-floor corridor, swaying to the music and applauding as the inmates, dressed in orange prison T-shirts and sweat pants, stomped and clapped in unison in the hilltop prison, behind thick stone walls topped by electrified razor wire.
Those in attendance were also treated to other performances by the filipino prisoners which included "Ben," "I'll Be There" and "We Are the World."
The filipino inmates original Michael Jackson "Thriller" dance (video attached), which began as an exercise routine intended to get inmates to participate in poorly attended exercise sessions, became a Youtube hit attracting 24.3 million hits since it was posted two years ago. Within 24 hours of the news of Michael Jackson's death, nearly a million more viewers have since watched the original video.
Time will only tell how many will watch the inmates' new Michael Jackson tribute.
Written by Gabriel Dorman
Los Angeles, California
gabedorman@gmail.com
www.criminaldefenseduilawyer.com/blog/
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