Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) is an interactive music video game that provides a healthy, energetic, fitness workout performed to high-energy music. Players are challenged to match their dance steps with the flashing arrows on the screen while keeping up with the beat of the music.

The game is commonly played on a dance pad showing four directional arrows. The player presses the arrows with his or her feet in response to arrows that appear on the screen in front of the player. The screen’s arrows are synchronized to the general rhythm or beat of a chosen song, and success is dependent on the player's ability to time and position his or her steps accordingly.

Incorporating DDR into gym class is part of a general shift in physical education, with school districts supporting the less competitive activities rather than the traditional sports.

Several news media have reported how playing DDR can be good aerobic exercise; some regular players have reported weight loss of 10–50 pounds. Although reports of weight loss have not been scientifically measured, many schools use DDR as a physical education activity in gym, and in Norway, DDR has even been registered as an official sport.

Many home versions of the game have a function to estimate calories burned, given a player's weight. Also, players can use "workout mode" to make a diary of calories burned playing DDR and any self-reported changes in the player's weight.

At the start of 2006, Konami, producer of the series, announced that the DDR games would be used as part of a fitness program to be phased into West Virginia's 756 state schools, starting with its 103 middle schools, over the next two years. The program was conceived by a researcher at West Virginia University's Motor Development Center and sponsored by a partnership of West Virginia’s Department of Education, its Public Employees Insurance Agency, West Virginia University and Konami. Caltech allows its students to use DDR to fulfill its physical education requirements, as students may design their own fitness program.

Dance Dance Revolution has become part of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s challenge among all k-12 schools to get California students healthy and fit.

There are only four required components for a DDR system:

  • A television or alternative display device
  • A video game console
  • A software copy of a DDR game
  • A dance mat

Assuming that a television is already available, it is possible to get a complete new DDR setup for as little as $200.

In order to allow more than two to play at the same time, additional complete setups are required.  A number of schools use non-interactive pads to allow many students to practice steps along with others while two players use the interactive pads with the game.

For a school seeking to implement a DDR program that can accommodate 20 children at once, a realistic funding goal is $1,000, which includes two durable interactive mats, materials for non-interactive mats, a hardware console, and DDR software. New versions of DDR software are released regularly.

Digital Dance-A-Thon, a product of CD Resources USA, LLC, incorporates DDR into traditional sponsorship-based fundraising programs.  It provides materials and step-by-step instructions to run the fundraiser successfully, averaging a 10% profit. 
Over the past few years, numerous grants have been awarded to schools and after-school programs that utilize DDR.  Funds from these grants typically cover the cost of the hardware and software.

Arcade versions of DDR are also available.  These are all-in-one units that have the most durable mats and can be upgraded with new software if/when desired.  During school use the machines can operate coin-free, but to offset their costs they can require coins to operate during off-hours.  Patrick Henry Middle School near Los Angeles has done just this (see adjacent quote).

Marin on the Move encourages you to help implement DDR in your local schools!