CEBU CITY – Following their instant fame on online video-sharing website, YouTube for their rendition of Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance steps, Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) inmates got a surprise visit recently from the King of Pop’s official choreographer.

Travis Payne, Jackson’s choreographer, was not only in Cebu last Sunday and Monday, for a two-day visit. He also spent some of his time during his two-day in the city to share some dance moves with hundreds of CPDRC dancing inmates, whose hit video of their synchronize dance steps to the tune of Thriller is considered among the top 10 most popular video on Youtube, with over 20 million hits.

Payne, who had earlier paid a courtesy call to Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, spent two hours a day for two days at the CPDRC teaching the inmates dance moves which he said will be included in a production to be released worldwide. No details on this matter, however, were given by the choreographer.

Capitol consultant on security matters, Byron Garcia, the man behind the dancing inmates, confirmed that Payne is planning a big production number with the inmates. Byron, however, said details of the production remains confidential.

Payne taught the CPDRC inmates dancing moves of “The Drill,” the last choreographed number he and Jackson collaborated on before the King of Pop died in June last year. Shortly after Jackson died, the inmates performed a tribute dance number based on Jackson's hit "Thriller." The video of the dance was uploaded the video sharing site, YouTube.

The inmates gained fame for their choreographed dances of many hit songs, videos of which have been uploaded to YouTube.

They were even featured in the 404-page Official Michael Jackson Opus, which is the definitive tribute publication approved and endorsed by Jackson himself and by his estate. The Opus, featuring over 300 photographs, is the definitive publication on the “King of Pop.” The inmates reportedly have four pictures in the book showing them go through their paces while dancing their version of Jackson’s famed “Thriller” number.

Garcia, who is apparently excited about this latest development, said the efforts of the inmates and his staff at the CPDRC have paid off.

The said Jackson Opus states that “Michael’s fans are as diverse as the population of Earth, from Israeli teenagers to Filipino prison inmates to American soccer mums.”

Byron introduced the dancing activity to the inmates of the provincial jail as a means to get them busy during their spare time and to help promote discipline.

Meeting with some resistance initially, the activity went on to become a famed, worldwide hit.