Just Dance!

When you think about prison inmates, the words that would first come to mind to describe them are macho, tough, gang members, tattoos bearing hardcore criminals, sexual deviants, drugs, and even Micheal Scofield from Prison Break (yummylicious Scofield...hmmmmmmm).

Yes, they might be any of those if not all of those things describe and more, but you tend to forget that they are still humans with the need to have fun and have the ability to ...DANCE!



(click on arrows to move between videos: Clips included are CPDRC's latest routine Rico Mambo, BEP's Beebo march and Thriller)

Though we tend to laugh while watching these clips, you can't help but wonder the reason why behind it. A new form of torture? as personal entertainment slaves of the prison management, namely Byron Garcia, Cebu Security Adviser, the brain behind the dancing prisoners? Some YouTube's viewers are claiming to be so. I can't claim otherwise, nor likewise. Neither will i state my opinion on something i don't much about.

In my opinion, it encourages discipline and camaraderie for the inmates. I (touch wood) never been IN a prison before but based on the documentaries I've watched on Discovery, movies I've watched, and articles and books I've read, it must be boring and mind numbing with repetitive activities and closed spaces with strong psychological reasonings behind it.

In Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre (CPDRC), the dancing are actually part of their physical fitness regime. Not only it made exercise enjoyable, it has other behavioral effects on the inmates as well. It was claimed that since this form of exercise was introduced, violence between inmates and guards have minimised drastically and so have gang cultures. It sure is a way for the inmates to have a little bit of fun (even if they were forced to dance if they are not the elderly or infirm), enjoy themselves once in awhile and make a break away (pardon the pun) from the norm of prison life.

I do hope that is the case. and some inmates really have become dancers once they have rehabilitated and allowed once again to be outside the walls of CPDRC.

Hmm back to the videos!
And finally, the video that made me laugh non-stop while watching it: The Algorithm March.



(Videos included are CPDRC's World Record Breaker Algorithm March and Algorithm March by the original performers Itsumo Kokokara for Pitagora Suitchi)

The Algorithm March was not intended to by funny, it is (believe it or not) just another way to demonstrate one of the basics of mathematics fundamental principle to Japanese children. Trust Japanese shows to come out with hilarious (AND educational) dance moves that would be copied all over the world and danced by hardcore prisoners.

A couple of the simplest definitions of Algorithm are as followed

al·go·rithm Pronunciation: \ˈal-gə-ˌri-thəm\

Function:noun
Etymology:alteration of Middle English algorisme, from Old French & Medieval Latin; Old French, from Medieval Latin algorismus, from Arabic al-khuwārizmi, from al-Khwārizmī fl a.d. 825 Islamic mathematician
Date:1926

1. "a procedure for solving a mathematical problem (as of finding the greatest common divisor) in a finite number of steps that frequently involves repetition of an operation; broadly : a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end especially by a computer (Merriam-Webster)"

2. "No human being can write fast enough, or long enough, or small enough to list all members of an enumerably infinite set by writing out their names, one after another, in some notation. But humans can do something equally useful, in the case of certain enumerably infinite sets: They can give explicit instructions for determining the nth member of the set, for arbitrary finite n. Such instructions are to be given quite explicitly, in a form in which they could be followed by a computing machine, or by a human who is capable of carrying out only very elementary operations on symbols" (Boolos and Jeffrey (1974, 1999), p. 19).

Aha....very simple indeed.

And if you're crazy enough to know more about Algorithm (and its definition) just go here and well, knock yourself out cold

OR

you could take the definition from the Algorithm March and its demonstration by those Japanese to understand what it is all about.

3. "The exercises (id) from Algorithm Exercises are developed. Lines of more than 2 people are formed, and they begin moving canon style one at a time. The movements of the first and last person become connected." (Wikipedia)

The Algorithm March was designed for Pitagora Suitchi (Pythagoras Switch) an educational Japanese children's TV show on NHK Educational Channel and originally performed by Japan's comedic duo Itsumo Koko Kara .

What have been done by Pitagora Suitchi and CPDRC's prison management are examples of serious out of the box thinking to make mathematics interesting to children and adults alike and a way to install discipline, teamwork and to implement a healthy exercise regime, yet fun for prison inmates.

After writing the main essence of this blog, i found the Al-Jazeera's and CNN's reports and BBC's article on the dancing CPDRC's inmates on YouTube.



(Videos included are from Al-Jazeera and CNN)

My guesses were right, Vince Rosales, the choreographer was scared shitless by the thought of teaching hardcore inmates dancing in sync with the music and he was initially thrown slippers by inmates who...well..probably dancing is too gay and would like to retain their macho-ness. Hell, if i were a guy i still wouldn't pick a fight with any of the inmates in there even if they do dance to YMCA.

Excuse me ... i have the strong urge to dance with ninjas and prisoners in Cebu so i must learn this dance.

"take one step forward and reach forward
take one step forward and you're a better person...dududu"