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Last 2009, a viral video on Youtube was uploaded featuring 1,500 plus dancing prisoners from Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. The video became world-famous when one of their dance routine includes a Michael Jackson classic hit “Thriller” and scored millions of views (49,682,403  hits to date) on YouTube.

This year, starting March 2012, an original web series will soon be launched via the “Prison Dancer: The Interactive Web Musical“, a 12-episode web series starring another Youtube sensation, Filipino-Canadian singer-actor  Mikey Bustos.

Prison Dancer is the story of six (6) Filipino prisoners whose lives are forever changed by the dancing rehabilitation program that became a worldwide viral sensation on Youtube. Using surveillance footage, interviews with inmates inside the prison, and good old fashioned investigative journalism, pop culture journalist Matt Wells uncovers the personal, poignant, hilarious and universal stories of 6 prison dancers whose group dancing turned a maximum security jailhouse into a world stage.

Behind the prison walls, inmates Ruperto Poblador aka LOLA (who along with his gay minions OO OO and NANA, choreographs the first prison dance routines), HOOKAPS, (the prison hustler), SHAKESPEARE (the prison’s resident poet) and CHRISTIAN, (the prison’s newest inmate) discovers a tale of life, death, dreams, fears and ultimately, redemption.

 Orange Magazine TV had the opportunity to hang out with Mikey Bustos (who plays the role of  Christian “Bagets” Escodero in the said web series) when he visited the Philippines to promote a Filipino-snack (see separate post here). He maybe an internet sensation (to date, Mikey Bustos has 15,475 Twitter followers, 38,022 Facebook followers,  51,040 video subscribers  and 7,826,485 video views in his  uber-famous Youtube account), but in person he is down-to-earth and totally cool.  That is why, we are more than excited to see him at  Prison Dancer: The Interactive Web Musical.

Here’s a video blog he posted to promote the said interactive web musical which according to Bustos is a drama-musical:

The very 1st Canadian produced 12 interactive webisodes will also feature 12 original songs (Music and Lyrics by Romeo Candido) performed by Mikey Bustos, Dora-nominee and internet sensation Jeigh Madjus, Catherine Ricafort, Matt Wells, Ron Josol, Dora award winner Nicco Lorenzo, Norman Alconcel, Pierre Bayuga and Joseph Sevillo.

The show, which is obviously inspired by the Philippine prison’s mob choreography, was created and written by 5-time Dora award-nominee Romeo Candido and co-written with Carmen De Jesus, produced by Ana Serrano  and directed by Romeo Candido.

Here’s a teaser trailer for Prison Dancer: The Interactive Web Musical I found in their official Youtube account:

Follow Prison Dancer: The Interactive Web Musical on Facebook  or visit www.prisondancer.com for more information and updates!

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