April 13^th, 2005 (7:24pm) - Konami has announced its event sponsorship for the NASPE (National Association for Sports and Physical Education) at this year’s AAHPERD or American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Convention. With its game series, Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), Konami has created a fun and healthy way for children and adults to become more active and realize the benefits of physical activity. DDR will also be prominently featured at the 2005 AAHPERD trade show (booth # 774). This year’s AAHPERD convention is scheduled to be held April 13th through April 15th at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. The AAHPERD convention is one of the largest gatherings of health and physical educators in the nation.

AAHPERD attendees will be able to experience DDR’s unique gameplay, which has been successfully drawing people off couches to groove to the beat of over 100 minutes of energetic dance music. Complete with a special dance pad that plugs directly into the Xbox or the PlayStation 2, DDR delivers a healthy workout to people of all ages. For those ready to take their exercise experience to an even greater level, DDR comes with a built-in workout mode that allows players to track how many calories they burn as they play.

Throughout the convention, Konami will be educating our nation’s physical education teachers on DDR and its associated health benefits. Case study examples will be provided to show how teachers have incorporated DDR into their PE curriculum and success stories will be shared about people who have found benefits from using DDR. Konami will also be encouraging convention visitors to show off their moves on DDR and even compete with others to win their very own copy of DDR.

"DDR is not only one of the most innovative video game concepts ever, but it is also a fun and entertaining way for kids and adults to develop healthy habits and a fitness-oriented lifestyle," said Jason Enos, product manager, Konami Digital Entertainment – America. "DDR is unique to the fitness world because it lets people exercise at their own pace, while still having fun playing a video game."

Konami will be exhibiting its newest iteration of the game, DDR Ultramix 2 for the Xbox, at the AAHPERD show in booth # 774.