Brooklyn, NY – In 1998, Dance Dance Revolution, a Japanese musical arcade game that challenged players to follow onscreen dance moves by stepping on corresponding arrows on a dance pad, took the world by storm. Twelve years later, a Borough Park woman hopes that Step It Up, a similar game featuring popular Jewish songs being released in time for Chanukah, will do the same.
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Faigy Grossman first heard about Dance Dance Revolution from her students as a Chumash teacher at Brooklyn’s Nefesh Academy in 2007. She was fascinated by the skills needed to master the game, which seemed to be the perfect blend of aerobic exercise and good, clean fun. Grossman wondered whether there was some way to adapt the game for the Jewish market, by keeping the underlying concept but substituting Jewish music.
In 2008 Grossman decided to make her dream a reality, doing all of the graphics and most of the programming and choreography for Step It Up on her own. Grossman credits Izzy (A’H) and Benny Taubenfeld of Sameach Music, Neshoma Orchestra and producer Avi Newmark for being especially helpful when it came to allowing use of their music. Song selection required many factors, according to Grossman, including popularity, tempo, complexity and originality of rhythm.
“I particularly looked for songs with multiple instruments and layered sounds because that way the dances never get old,” explained Grossman in an interview with VIN News.
“The expert level can follow the quick drumbeat, the hard level can follow the string section, with the medium level following the basic keyboard sound.”
The game, which features sixty songs from some of today’s most popular artists including Avraham Fried and Lipa Schmeltzer, includes software and a dance pad that attaches to any home computer. As the music plays on the computer, scrolling arrows appear on the monitor and players step on corresponding arrows on the dance pad. Players are scored by how well they followed the rhythm and can see not only how many calories they burned but also their improving scores as they progress. A two player mode allows players to challenge each other as well.
Introductory versions of Step It Up featuring 30 songs are already in numerous homes, schools and private fitness centers. The game also made its way this past summer to Camp Anna Heller and Camp Bnos, where a customized version of the game was used to break out color war. Response to the introductory version has been overwhelmingly positive according to Grossman.
While Grossman stresses the health benefits associated with playing a game like Step It Up she isn’t the only one claiming that dance games can be an effective form of exercise. A 2007 article in the New York Times cited studies by the Mayo Clinic and the University of West Virginia which proclaimed that obese children who played Dance Dance Revolution regularly received significant health benefits including improved blood pressure, overall fitness scores and endothelial function, which reflects the arteries’ ability to deliver oxygen. Not only has Dance Dance Revolution been incorporated into the physical education curriculum in hundreds of schools all across the United States including CalTech and University of Kansas, but West Virginia, with the highest childhood obesity rates in the nation, has incorporated the game into the physical education curriculum in all of its public schools.
Online:
http://stepitup123.com
Get ur groove on
Tantz tantz
This is a great game for the entire family and worth every penny. Thanks for the kosher entertainment.
Good way to get the kids to have exercise.
Any bets on how long b4 its assered?
Great does it have Reb Amnons Hechsher? LOL
I saw the Dance Dance Revolution game online and wished I could have sth like it. I didn’t want to buy it because of the secular music and non-tzniusdige images. I’m thrilled a Jewish version is now available. May buy one as a Chanukah gift for my family. Can anyone who has already used it provide a user review for VIN readers? (Did you enjoy it? Any problems or issues with the game? Is it a shvitz-inducing activity??)
price please?
we are proud parents of a family that have turned pro at this calorie burning fun game.
the customer service is great.
we have recommended it to a number of friends of our children and now they own it too.
its a real professional production,
as some of the people who have come over to try it out attest the immense amount of work FG invested in developing this is obvious.
top rated production by a top rated person.
best of luck in all your future products thank you again
We have this at home. We do not have a Wii or a TV or anything like that, so we got the PC version. The PC version can only be gotten directly from the DDR (company name is DDR, as in Dance Dance Revolution) people by calling the company. We tried stores and online, but the only way was directly from the manufacturer by phone. It is also kedai to get a more gezunte dance pad, don’t go cheap there. We originally borrowed a cheap one from a friend, and it was kinda junky. It didn’t stay in one place, slid around and gave innacurate results. The heavier one stays put, registers much more accurately, and is well worth the few extra dollars.
Also, on the PC version, there are NO untzniusdike graphics, not even the silhouettes that you sometimes see. It is great excercise, good, clean, kosher, calorie-burning fun.
I hope the product featured here will be made so that in can be integrated into a regular DDR device/program.
we use it motzai shabbos for activities great gift! fantastic music!!!
I just have to say, it is really AMAZING to see a kid who is skilled at this game do their dance/performance. You would be amazed. Its a great way for a kid to realease their energy at a young age. Great.
we got this a few weeks ago and there is very little time when the kids are home that it is not in use. they love it!!
I hope she has a good IP attorney. Konami (the maker of DDR) holds a variety of patents relating to games like this. One example is:
Patent no. 6,695,694 – “A game machine allowing a player to enjoy stepping while listening to game music, comprising: step detection means for detecting whether or not the player puts their foot or feet on each of a plurality of step positions;
change judgment means for judging, based on a detection result, which of a plurality of pattern changes a state of the player’s feet relative to the plurality of step positions has changed to, thereby determining a pattern change;” etc.
Then again, the so-called “jewish” musician have gotten away with ripping off secular songs for years with no lawsuits, so she might get lucky and not get sued out of house and home.
Finally a fun way for guys to lose some weight!!!