Rain-soaked Cebu inmates go ‘Gangnam Style’
The show had to go on.
Never mind that the rains threw them off, with missteps and clueless dancers wondering where to go. Still, the inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center gave a performance typical of one of the first Filipino viral video sensations.
But it was unlike their first video, which became a phenomenon not only because of their synchronized dancing but also because the idea of seeing prisoners performing Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was so novel at the time. The first by the dancing inmates has been viewed more than 51 million times since it was uploaded on July 17, 2007 by YouTube user byronfgarcia.
Now, they were simply riding the tide of Korean superstar Psy's immense global hit "Gangnam Style," which had had more than 330 million views and counting.
Uploaded on Saturday, Sept. 29, by user RyanChristopher, the Cebu inmates' new video shows them dancing to an already widely copied routine. With several other parodies and versions already populating the Internet, the rendition was nothing new. And of course, the rains dampened their usual verve and took its toll on their synchronization. The last scene even showed a dancer stumbling.
But despite these, the CPRDC dancing inmates and their version of any dance performance remain something millions on the Internet can look forward to. Even if they weren't at their best, they showed that, as with their previous viral videos, it sure is fun in the Philippines, even if you are spending time in jail.
Here's the video:
