CEBU DANCING INMATES included in MICHAEL JACKSON's THIS IS IT DVD Release

Filipino, Philippines "Dancing Inmates" from Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), a maximum security prison, were treated to a visit by Michael Jacksons long-time choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid to learn performances from THIS IS IT.



DCRJ say on this: I am totally blown away by this video. Just imagine, this CPDRC officials just wanted to give some leisure time for all of the inmates by dancing to some of Michael Jackson's songs. Their videos were uploaded at YouTube which gained an unprecedented number of views to the tune of millions around the world. Now they are included in Michael Jackson's This Is It DVD release. It's a fitting tribute not only to Michael Jackson but also a fitting tribute to this amazing dancing inmates.


They were at Yahoo page Jan. 26, 2010


Michael Jackson's Choreographer Teaches Dancing Filipino Prisoners 'This Is It' Routine
Posted Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:18pm PST by Billy Johnson, Jr. in Hip-Hop Media Training


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.

article source : Yahoo