Monday, August 06, 2007 Costanilla: Dancing inmates, one for Guinness? By Sam Costanilla Spotlight
TODAY, Monday, is the 438th founding anniversary of our beloved Cebu as a province. This afternoon, a Cebuano folk dance competition will be staged at the Capitol social hall.
What is so exciting about the event is the fact that its participants are Capitol employees themselves who could give theirprofessional counterparts, even those in Manila, a run for their money.
This can be proven in their participation in previous cultural competitions organized by the provincial government. I have seen them perform and even judges, who were non-Capitol officials, were one in saying that the employees could put up a show and entertain their spectators just like the professionals do.
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LAST Wednesday noon, I emceed a special field demonstration featuring the now internationally famous Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center dancing inmates, all 1,500 of them. No less than Governor Gwen Garcia led the spectators that included judges, prosecutors, local and international tri-media practitioners, Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas representatives and Capitol department heads and consultants. The inmates, all clad in their orange uniform, gave a very delightful presentation. Their precise and simultaneous steps and body movement, to the tune of background hits such as Dayang-Dayang, Sister Act and Radio Gaga, elicited thunderous applause from the audience. Security consultant Byron Garcia and choreographer Vince Rosales should be lauded for their effort in making the dancing inmates globally popular.
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GLOBALLY popular—yes, that’s what the provincial inmates are right now.
Their own version of the Michael Jackson hit Thriller was shown in its complete and final version during the program last Wednesday. Part of it can be viewed via the youtube website that can be accessed anytime. After watching their live presentation, I told myself the dancing inmates truly deserve a page in the next issue of the Guinness Book of World Records.
After knowing also that inmates of other prison facilities here and abroad have not achieved such commendable feat, I felt prouder being a Cebuano.
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THE CEBU Radio and Television Artists Corp., Curta Corp. (Curta) deserves all the support from well-meaning people who believe in its mission to help retired, semi-retired and active dramatists in their need of assistance in whatever form.
Curta was organized not as a social club but as a group that is ready to rescue radio and television drama personalities and other workers facing difficulties and all sorts of challenges. Its induction rites, which is by invitation only, will be on Aug. 18 at the San Miguel Corp. 1521 Center in Mandaue city.
Curta Corp is thanking the company’s corporate communications officer Girlie Garces for her valuable help.
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THIS self-proclaimed radioman keeps on bragging about his being notorious as an extortionist and as an unlicensed boxer.
But one time, he got severely mauled by the father of a young lady whom he tried to sexually harass. (samcost@yahoo.com/ text 09154992844)
