More than 700 inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) danced before government officials, representatives from private sector and members of the civil society yesterday.
Clad in their signature orange outfit with matching red sneakers, the inmates moved to the jingle of Mega Cebu, with the premise that their routine will “make waves” across the world.
Mega Cebu, a collaboration of the public, private sectors and civil society, envisions a Cebu that is wholesome, advanced, vibrant, equitable, and sustainable (W.A.V.E.S.) by 2050.
CPDRC Choreographer Vince Rosales said the routine aimed to show support for the Mega Cebu Vision.
Rosales said it took the inmates two weeks to practice before they presented it to its audience yesterday.
Among those who were treated to an afternoon of dance were Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Roberto Aboitiz of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), and members of the Mega Cebu board, among others.
The 3-minute routine featured a human “CEBU” formation with a wave underneath.
Some of the audience joined “making waves” the second time the inmates performed.
The CPDRC dancing inmates rose to fame when the video of their performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was uploaded on Youtube in 2007 and now has more than 54 million views.
Because CPDRC has placed Cebu on the international map because of its dancing inmates, Mega Cebu hopes that their latest routine will echo to the world what they envision for Cebu.
Aside from the Mega Cebu jingle, the inmates also danced to Korean idol PSY’s “Gangnam Style” and Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us.”