The world's funkiest felons: Top 10 Filipino prison dances

The Philippines has some of the most overcrowded and underfunded prisons in the world, so it’s utterly baffling why it should be the country where prisoners have become famous for their joyous, highly choreographed dance routines.

The trend started at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) and was the idea of Byron F Garcia, the official security advisor to the Cebu government. He started uploading videos of the unusual exercise sessions in 2006, and they soon became some of the internet’s first viral videos.

Mr Garcia had initially introduced an exercise programme in which prisoners marched in unison to the beat of a drum, but then decided to play one of favourite songs, Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall, through the tannoy system. The prisoners loved it, and the trend spread.

As their fame grew, more and more people clamoured to watch the prisoners perform. In October 2007, papal envoy Cardinal Archbishop Ricardo Vidal visited the CPDRC and enjoyed a medley of six dances. Afterwards, the cleric was heard to remark: “It was a marvelous show of discipline. If only they had practiced that discipline in their lives, they wouldn’t be here.”

So, in tribute to the funky felons, here are our top 10 Filipino prison dances:

10. Michael Jackson: This Is It – They Don’t Care About us

Introduced by the visionary Mr Garcia himself, this routine features some impressive drilling that would put many army regiments to shame. Also, watch out for the guest appearance by Martin Luther King Jr…