TV in Japan

Phillipine Prisoners Perform the “Hare Hare Yukai Dance”

The anime-based internet meme that is the “Hare Hare Yukai Dance” keeps on rolling now heading smack into an entirely different internet meme, the dancing prisoners of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center.

Not content with their new found fame and internet stardom, the Prisoners have taken on the holy of holies amongst anime fans, the Hare Hare Yukai Dance. “The Dance” was originally based on the actual end credit dance of the anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Since then it has become its own amazing thing.

The anime and the dance have inspired a level of dedication that borders on obsession. According to Wikipedia:

“Fans of the series call themselves “Haruhiists” (in the same manner that Star Trek fans are Trekkies), and the collective fandom is known as Haruhiism (ハルヒ主義, Haruhi shugi?).[22] The concept of Haruhiism is portrayed by fans to be somewhat of a pseudoreligion, with Haruhi as “God.”

Here’s a clip of the original dance to give you some background. Nothing special (unless you know the series) but it does have 1.25 million views on YouTube.

The innmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center definitely do it proud.

BTW, this video gives a sneak peek into the worldwide fan obsession with the dance. Pretty incredible.

As I’m a newcomer to the phenomenon, I’m sure I’ve left a lot of the story behind the dance out. If you’ve got anything to add be sure to leave info in the comments. I’ll update this post with more info as I get it.

Posted in: Action Packed!, Anime Inspired, Celebrity, Cosplay, Culture, Dance You Fool!, Music, Music Video, Truly Awesome

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 15th, 2007 at 3:42 am and is filed under Action Packed!, Anime Inspired, Celebrity, Cosplay, Culture, Dance You Fool!, Music, Music Video, Truly Awesome. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.