The Amazing CPDC Dancing Inmates of the Philippines
The CPDC Dancing Inmates of Cebu was the first in the whole world. It is a prison renewal program that uses music in order to bring back the goodness in the inmates. It was just a trial a few years ago when Byron Garcia uploaded the "Thriller" dance of the inmates. This uploaded YouTube video became a phenomenon with more than 3 million hits in its first week. Today the same video has more than 42 million hits in YouTube. Almost all their videos have hits above 1 million and the average view is 2 million hits.
Garcia said that this therapeutic protocol of dance and music is meant to restore dignity to people who suffer the stigma of incarceration and restore self-esteem to inmates because they are alienated from society. Therapeutic music and dance is meant to help prisoners cope with their depression and anxiety, improve their well-being as they go through a transition phase and reintegrate to society. Music is a protocol to heal them of emotional and psychological disorders and trauma as a result of the offense or incarceration.
1,500 plus CPDRC inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines at practice! This is the first ever uploaded video now with 42 million hits and counting
There have been many clinical results worldwide as to the effect of music therapy on adults and children with mental and emotional disorders and cancer patients or patients with debilitating diseases. Clear evidence on the effect of music therapy on prisoners is rather scant. Clinicians and therapists skeptic about therapeutic music and dance for inmates because they cannot be placed in a clinical setting and certainly inmates in a large scale.
Last March 26, the dancing inmates for the first time performed their out-of-town tour at the Manila City Jail, Makati City Jail, and Quezon City Jail on March 26. Byron Garcia, creator of the Dancing Inmates, in an an interview said that the pilot project will be held simultaneously at the jail facilities of Manila, Makati, and Quezon City.
BJMP chief Resendo M. Dial said the memorandum of agreement is a collaborative effort between BJMP and Garcia to institutionalize music therapy in jail facilities nationwide. Music therapy which includes therapeutic dancing and singing becomes the centerpiece component for BJMPs inmate development program. The memorandum of agreement signing will take place at the Manila City Jail.
Here is their latest dance, "Michael Jackson's This Is It". The prisoners where choreographed by Michael Jacksons long-time choreographer Travis Payne and dancers Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid.
Now for Korean Pop or KPop lovers here's the Dancing inmates with two hit KPop songs and dance.
CPDC Dancing Inmates Big Bang's "Lies" and Wonder Girl's "Tell Me" (Remix)
CPDC Dancing Inmates Sorry Sorry ! (Super Junior)
