Dance Central

London – 17 February 2011 - Xbox is proud to announce Dance Central as the headline sponsor of Kylie Minogue’s upcoming European Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour 2011, supporting the popular controller-free, body-tracking dance video game from the world’s premier music game developer, Harmonix Music Systems, which features Kylie’s No.1 international smash hit, “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”.  The sponsorship will encompass more than 35 shows in 15 countries, reaching thousands of Kylie fans.

Commenting on Dance Central’s involvement Kylie said: “Dance is a huge passion of mine and I’m very excited for my fans to see the routines and choreography that have been created for Aphrodite  Les Folies.  

“I am delighted that Dance Central is sponsoring my European tour, it’s a perfect synergy.  My fans will also have a chance to put their own dance moves to the test  as ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ is one of the tracks on Dance Central – good luck!” said Kylie.

Negotiated internally by Xbox EMEA and EMI Music, the sponsorship will be supported by a multi-channel European marketing campaign asking fans the question, “Can you out dance Kylie” and will run across all Xbox social media, online and Xbox LIVE destinations and be featured on Kylie’s own channels. With a significant investment in paid online media, public relations and experiential activity, Xbox continues to widen its appeal among broader consumers following the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360.

Beginning in Herning, Demark on 19 ^th February and culminating in London, England on 12 ^th April 2011, the European tour will immerse those attending the show in Dance Central as it becomes a prominent part of each concert experience. Following a highly successful experiential campaign in the lead up to launch, Xbox will install Kinect pods featuring Dance Central at each venue, inviting fans to play the game and find out whether they “can out-dance Kylie” by performing the in-game routine to her track.

Xbox has also been given exclusive backstage access to the Aphrodite: Les Folies rehearsals, from which it will create a series of web-episodes that will include interviews with Kylie on different aspects of the show.  The content will be released across Xbox’s European Facebook pages over the course of the tour and is part of a wider online content strategy to reach both Kylie and Kinect for Xbox 360 fans and promote the tour partnership.  Fans will also be invited to submit videos of themselves giving their best performance to the “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” routine to win prizes.

Chris Lewis, Vice President Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft EMEA said: “Kylie is one of the most successful and much-loved artists in the world; a perfect fit for an entertainment brand like Xbox.  We’re delighted to be involved in the Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour 2011 and introduce the controller-free fun of Kinect and Dance Central to thousands of Kylie’s European fans in a new, engaging and entertaining way.” 

Dance Central™ is the first controller-free, body-tracking, fully immersive dance video game, exclusively for Kinect for Xbox 360. This top-selling Kinect title, developed by Harmonix, features fun choreography and more than 90 authentic routines for beginners and experts alike of all ages to master, alongside a killer 32-song on-disc soundtrack that spans a great sampling of pop, funk, hip-hop, Latin and R&B artists.

Kinect provides a unique and exciting way for the whole family to access and interact with entertainment. With just the wave of a hand or the sound of a voice, consumers can play games, stream music, watch HD movies and engage in video chat. No gadgets, gizmos or additional controllers are required.  Over 8 million Kinect sensors have been sold since launch in November 2010. 

-ENDS-

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About Dance Central

Dance Central is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Dance Central, as well as new art and video assets, please visit http://www.dancecentral.com/press.

Follow Dance Central on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/dance_central) and Facebook ( www.facebook.com/dancecentralgame). Harmonix, Dance Central and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. Dance Central developed by Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.