Culture

Michael Jackson Thriller Tribute Performed by Cebu Inmates

by Amy Judd | June 27, 2009 at 09:01 am

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A Michael Jackson tribute dance has been performed by the Cebu inmates, the same ones who made the 'Thriller' dance famous a few years ago.

More than 1,500 inmates rehearsed for nine hours straight to put on the show just two days after the pop singer died.

The inmates have previously performed songs like 'Jai Ho', but it was their dance to 'Thriller' that made them so famous. They started their tribute with a prayer to Jackson, then they sang and danced to his hit with Lionel Richie, 'We Are the World'.

They then performed the other hits 'Ben' and 'I'll Be There' before finishing with their famous dance to 'Thriller'.

The original 'Thriller' video by them has been watched over 23 million times on YouTube, and prison officials had heard that Michael himself had watched it. Their choreographer Byron Garcia, said he was shocked at the news that Jackson had died and that many of the inmates were devastated.

"Without MJ, the inmates would never have become world-renowned. That is why Michael Jackson is a God to them," Garcia told AFP. "Inmates had hoped that one day, he'll come to dance with them."

The inmates had only performed the dance hours before Jackson died on Thursday.

Jackson's music served to help the facility in rehabilitating the inmates, Garcia said.

"Music is the language of the soul, and dancing is a form of positive expression," he said as press photographers jostled for positions. "I am sad. Forty years ago, I learned singing his songs."

Hundreds of people came to watch the inmates perform the tribute in person today.