MJ childhood tunes in prison tribute

MANILA, Philippines - With a crowd of tourists and international media waiting with bated breath, Cebu’s world-famous dancing inmates could have performed their YouTube hit Thriller in their tribute to the late Michael Jackson last Saturday. But that would have been too predictable. Instead, they went further back in time and brought spectators to tears with sentimental classics from the King of Pop’s childhood repertoire: "Ben" (for which Jackson took home his first Grammy) and “I’ll Be There." They also did a rousing version of “We Are the World" (which Jackson composed with Lionel Richie). The videos drew over a million hits from all over the world less than 36 hours after they were uploaded by Byron Garcia, Cebu’s provincial jail consultant, who conceived of the dancing inmates as a prison rehabilitation project in 2005. “I wanted to present Michael Jackson as a child—pure and free from the politics of stardom," Garcia told GMANews.TV. But first the songs had to be choreographed and rehearsed, in time for a Saturday 3 p.m. performance date that had already been announced by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and by the BBC, Reuters, and other foreign media outlets, in addition to dozens of local ones. Garcia called in the choreographer-to the-inmates, Gwen Lador, who reportedly spent eight hours teaching the new steps to his wards at the Cebu Provincial District Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC). But this time the new routines were slow songs imbued with solemnity, rather than exuberant dance numbers like Thriller or Billie Jean, Jackson’s 1982 megahits. “Ben" is a syrupy paean to friendship and was Jackson’s first number one hit as a solo artist, released in 1972 when he was only 14 years old, years before bizarre antics and charges of pedophilia sullied his image. Unknown to many, “Ben" was actually a song about a friendship with a rat, recorded by Jackson as a theme for a movie with the same name. A sea of solemn orange-clad inmates swayed in unison as an adolescent Michael Jackson’s high-pitched voice soared above the prison courtyard and a giant sword-wielding poster of the entertainer was unfurled in the background. Dozens of cameras snapped. The dancers, some of them convicted murderers but more than a few still awaiting trial, appeared genuinely grieving. Michael Jackson, after all, produced the music that gave them the soundtrack for their fame. After their dignified three-song tribute, the inmates launched into their signature act of frenetic group choreography. The Saturday after Jackson's death coincided with their monthly performance for visitors, some of whom agree to sponsor these mini-concerts for thousands of pesos, which reportedly go into inmate bankbooks. Prisoners are not allowed to possess cash in the facility. The 90-minute performance was only the latest episode in one of the world’s most unique inmate reform programs. Prisons everywhere have always been known as grim, miserable places. Now that image will have to compete with Cebu’s incarcerated crowd-pleasers. Garcia claims his program is not only entertaining and popular, but also effective. Since their ‘Thriller’ dancing catapulted them to fame two years ago, Garcia said CPDRC’s eight gangs have been dissolved, and rumbles and riots have not occurred in the facility. Some have asked if the inmates were being forced to dance against their will. “(Many of them) are not convicted prisoners," lawyer Rex Fernandez told Australia’s ABC Television soon after the prison’s version of Thriller became a YouTube hit. “There’s still no sentence. They cannot be forced to do things." Garcia admitted that early on, dancing was not welcomed by the hardened Cebuano inmates. But it made morning exercise more interesting. And with fame came motivation to rehearse more routines, Garcia added. Michael Jackson’s death became an occasion to expand their repertoire to include more sentimental tunes. But the afternoon would not have been complete without the song and dance that made them famous. After the tribute, the inmates performed Thriller with their usual electrifying gusto. The YouTube video of this prison rendition has drawn 27 million hits and counting. GMANews.TV