By ANYA SANTOS
October 5, 2010, 2:57pm
Manila Bulletin
MANILA, Philippines - The Filipinos sure have befriended YouTube and has made it a way not only to express themselves but to fashion Internet stars. We all know what happened to Charice, and surely we still remember those Dancing Inmates from Cebu—whose claim to fame, aside from millions of video hits, is the fact that they got to dance with the late Michael Jackson’s choreographer, Travis Payne, as well as a couple of the “This Is It” dancers.
But we aren’t finished with dancing videos-gone-viral just yet. A few days ago, the social networking world had another taste of dancing video when a clip from a Cebu Pacific flight surfaced showing the flight attendants dancing to a mash-up of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” while going through the airplane’s safety instruction.
As of 2 p.m. Oct. 5, the YouTube video “Cebu Pacific FAs dancing” uploaded by user wingco1129 on Sept. 30—the first clip that surfaced online—already has 6.3 million-plus hits. This video, also picked up on Yahoo.com, elicited varied reactions, from very supportive to funny to those not in favor. Some even questioned that it was a "planted" event, pointing out that the person who recorded the video already had his/her camera recording even before the dance started.
Clearly a marketing event, the video that went viral also got the attention of news organizations like The UK Telegraph and The Huffington Post. In terms of celebrity buzz, Ryan Seacrest already took to his blog to make Lady Gaga and Katy Perry aware of the video.
"gotta see this! Flight attendants dancing the entire safety demo to @ladygaga & @katyperry: http://bit.ly/cCOgS1," he tweeted.
In a report on GMANews.TV, Cebu Pacific VP for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said, "Cebu Pacific has always been known as a fun airline. We were looking for something new and different to show that flight safety doesn't have to be boring."
Indeed, long before the dancing began, the airlines already held in-flight games to keep passengers entertained. For this, Iyog also told GMANews.TV that airline hired professional choreographers to compose the steps that not only entertain but highlight the safety procedures.
And while, as per the video that has gone viral, it seemed that the loud music was competing with the voice over that explained the safety procedures, Iyog maintained that the performance wasn’t hazardous; saying that the dance was done in-flight, and was just a supplement to the usual standard (and non-musical) safety instructions that are conducted before take-off.
Meanwhile, GMANews.TV also reported that the union of flight stewards and attendants of Philippine Airlines (PAL) criticized Cebu Pacific for a gimmick they described as “sexist and gender-insensitive."
The Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) also said, “While it may look like a harmless publicity stunt to attract passengers at first glance, in the long run the stereotyping of flight attendants as entertainers will surely have a negative and sexist impact in the minds of the public, at the expense of the unwitting female-dancer-flight attendants."
Calling out to “gender sensitivity” and “professionalism,” FASAP is said to be urging Cebu Pacific to reconsider its recent gimmick.
FASAP reportedly has some 1,600 members. The report also noted that FASAP also earlier filed cases against PAL, alleging gender discrimination for its “absurd" grooming standards, forced retirement policy for 40-year-old attendants, and refusal to employ “older" women and pregnant flight attendants.
Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan, on the other hand, also said making flight attendants dance is “exploitative" and is not part of the attendants’ job description—and that it may be a violation of their rights, especially if they were not consulted by the airline’s management.
In a country whose people is seemingly not aware of how such practices can be deemed exploitative, it would perhaps be informative to note that in 2004, flight attendants in Australia sued Pacific Blue airlines and sister company Virgin Blue for asking applicants to perform a song and dance number as part of a pre-employment interview. The Queensland Anti-Discrimination Board ruled in the favor of the flight attendants, noted GMANews.TV.
The report again noted Iyog’s response: “Makikita sa video na ang aming flight attendants ay masayang nakibahagi sa pagsasanay. Ito ay kusang-loob at masaya nilang ginawa para makapagbigay ng impormasyon sa mga pasahero (It can be seen in the video that our flight attendants gladly took part in the routine. They did it whole-heartedly and gladly to give information to passengers)," purportedly via text message.
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