Cebu: The Filipino inmates who shot to global fame with a YouTube video of their "Thriller" dance swayed and stomped again on Saturday in a behind-bars tribute to their idol, Michael Jackson.
After being told of Jackson's death Thursday in Los Angeles, the 1,500 inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre hit the exercise yard, practicing for nine hours on Friday night - and into the early hours of Saturday morning - for the show.
They took breaks only to eat or when it rained, said professional choreographer Gwendolyn Lador, hired by the prison to teach the inmates the dance.
"I felt sad because we lost our idol," said inmate Wenjiel Resane, who plays the role of Jackson's girlfriend in the video.
Crisanto Nieri, 38, was feeling a little extra stress. He danced Jackson's part in "Thriller."
"Even as a kid, he was already my idol," said Nieri, who is serving seven years on drug charges. "I am happy that our video became famous, but I feel some pressure to perform well."
A crowd of 700 Cebuanos and foreign tourists watched the performance from a second-floor corridor, swaying to the music and applauding as the inmates, dressed in orange prison T-shirts and sweatpants, stomped and clapped in unison in the hilltop prison, behind thick stone walls topped by electrified razor wire.
"I was sad because one of the songs of Michael Jackson, 'Thriller,' made us famous around the world," said Francis Mercader, 36, who has spent a year in detention while on trial for drug charges.
"Thriller" has attracted 24.3 million YouTube hits since it was posted two years ago, with nearly a million in the 24 hours since news of Jackson's death spread.
The inmates "consider Michael Jackson as a god here," Garcia said. "If not for Michael Jackson, they would not have this international recognition."
