‘Jailhouse rock’ with Rikers dance lessons

What’s next, wine tastings?

The city Correction Department is advertising for two instructors to teach female inmates dance steps to “positively release tension, stress and anxiety” behind bars.

Jail officials even came up with the specific dances to meet those goals; hip-hop, samba/Afro Brazilian or African and salsa.

The unusual ad for the temporary-teacher positions was posted last week on Idealist.com.

“These classes can help with focus, self-image, teamwork and confidence, providing an opportunity for the inmates to positively release tension, stress and anxiety that would otherwise result in violence within the facility,” the ad says.

Salaries were not specified.

“Dance and music will allow women to have a liberating release; thus opening up the hearts of the women to receive empowerment,” the ad goes on.

Some local politicians — dancing to a different tune — say there has to be a better way to engage the estimated 650 women at Rikers.

“It’s really ridiculous. It’s a big waste of taxpayers’ money,” said City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Queens). “We’ve got more important things at Rikers Island to worry about than inmates releasing tension.”

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-SI) described the dance instruction as “just an example of another bad decision the city has made” in recent years.

“I question the city’s judgment when it comes to Rikers Island,” she said. “There’s a fine line between doing something to rehabilitate these individuals and turning what should be a punishment into a country- club-type of environment, which is what I think this is.”

There was no immediate comment from the Correction Department.

But an official at Rikers, who asked to remain anonymous, defended the dance classes as a useful tool.

“The thinking is how can we get these women to be productive instead of having them sitting in the day room all day watching TV,” the official said.

“An idle mind and idle time can be dangerous for these women. They could act out. They could attack each other. They come into the system with huge drug problems and they have nothing. So this program and others give them an outlet.”

Don’t expect to see male inmates doing the cha-cha anytime soon.

“This type of programming wouldn’t work with the male inmates,” the jail official said. “Are you going to have males dancing with each other? Forget it. Wouldn’t work.”