Michael Jackson’s Thriller Inmates, The Sequel: This Is It [VIDEO]

January 25th, 2010

A new video of hundreds of prison inmates performing a dance routine set to Michael Jackson’s posthumously released track “This Is It” is something of a sequel to one of the most popular viral videos of all time.

Two years ago, a video of 1,500 inmates in the Philippines’ Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center dancing a routine set to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was uploaded to YouTube. Since then, it’s reached more than 37 million views.

Prison Chief Byron F. Garcia has actually released several videos since “Thriller.” The prison has even become a tourist spot, putting on a monthly performance, selling souvenir shirts and offering visitors chances to have their pictures taken with the dancing inmates.

None of the previous videos have come close to the viral success of “Thriller,” though. But now that MJ has sadly passed on, we thought it appropriate to share this performance. It was actually made possible by MJ’s choreographer, Travis Payne. He and two dancers (Daniel Celebre and Dres Reid) taught the inmates all the steps. Go ahead and watch both “This Is It” and the classic “Thriller” video below if you like dancing. Hey, we all do — that’s why videos like these are so insanely popular.