Cebu inmates master ‘Gangnam’, other tunes

With their return to live performances, Cebu’s renowned dancing inmates have other routines to show.

Vince Rosales, choreographer of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), said plans are underway for different dance tunes for the inmates who performed South Korean rap star Psy’s “Oppa Gangnam Style” last Saturday.

“It was just recently that I finally decided to choose Gangnam Style which was gaining prominence,” Rosales said in Cebuano.

Aside form “Oppa Gangnam”, the inmates danced to the “Champ,” 2NE1’s “Fire,” and “Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot.”

Rosales told Rappler.com that the “Oppa Gangnam” routine was in response to rising online demand.

About a thousand inmates entertained local and foreign guests with their dance performance on a rainy Saturday afternoon. They only had three days to rehearse their new rap dance number.

Rosales said he had no problem conceptualizing the performance because the inmates were eager to learn.

Their comeback performance came after Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia suspended their monthly open-house show last February. The suspension ensued after a near-riot incident at the prison compound.

Belgium tourist Rudy Freemont, who joined other tourists inside CPDRC, applauded the inmates for their dancing skills and their smiles.

“It (captivated me from start to end). It was great especially when they did it in the rain. It’s my first time here (in the Philippines) and I’d love to come back,” Freemont said in Rappler.com.