Dodge Heats Up this Year's State Fair of Texas with the Durango Tango
* "Dodge Durango Tango" endurance dance contest lasts 27.16 hours and raises $18,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas
* Former Dallas Cowboy and reality TV dancing champion Emmitt Smith kick's off dancing contest
* One dancing devotee took the spotlight by outlasting the competition to win an all-new 2008 Dodge Durango
DALLAS, Sept. 28 -- Former Dallas Cowboy and reality TV dancing champion Emmitt Smith joined 30 daring dancers under the mirror ball to kick off the "Dodge Durango Tango" endurance dance contest at the State Fair of Texas on Thursday, Sept. 27. After more than 27 hours of cutting a rug, Angela Vanhoose of Dallas, TX was the only contestant still on the dance floor and was crowned the "Durango Tango" champion, winning an all-new 2008 Dodge Durango.
For their efforts, the dancers raised $18,000 for the Boys Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. For every hour the competition lasted, the Chrysler Foundation pledged to donate $500 to the Boys Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas to continue its mission to inspire and empower the youth in the local community.
"I've never done anything like this before," said Vanhoose. "By the 23rd hour, I felt my legs starting to shake, but I held on because I really wanted to win that new Dodge Durango. I kept my eyes on the prize and now I can't wait to cruise around town in my new Durango."
The Durango is no ordinary SUV and this was no ordinary dance competition. To make the "Dodge Durango Tango" different from other dance contests, each participant was paired with a life-sized doll to use as a dancing partner.
"The Dodge Durango is a bold and powerful vehicle that's packed with performance as well as best-in-class interior and cargo room, and best-in-class towing capacity and horsepower with the 5.7-liter HEMI(R) engine," said Mike Accavitti, Director -- Dodge Brand Marketing. "Over the last 27 hours, the Durango Tango participants showed that they were also best-in-class, showing off some incredible moves and giving a great performance -- proving they're just as amazing on the dance floor as the all-new 2008 Dodge Durango is on the road."
Star of the Show
To make sure the contest started off on the right foot, Smith, an ESPN analyst and NFL record-holder as well as a reality TV dancing champion, shared some of the pointers that earned him a dancing title last year and talked with contestants about their strategy for winning the contest.
"What a great competition. When Dodge invited me to be a part of the 'Durango Tango' contest I couldn't resist," said Smith. "Those contestants went out there with their game faces on and were dancing their hearts out to win that great looking Durango. I don't know how they did it, but some of them even managed to make their dancing partners look like real dancing stars."
Although Vanhoose won the dance-off, all participants went home as winners after receiving a Dodge prize package. Additionally, the first runner-up also danced for 27 hours received a $500 cash prize, while the third, fourth and fifth runners-up danced for 26.06, 25.43, and 25.17 hours respectively each received a $250 cash prize.
Contestants Stance on Dance
Dodge polled each of the contestants to learn more about why they signed up for the contest and their dancing preferences. Here's the dancing dish:
* Leader of the Pack: When contestants were asked what their favorite
group dance is, the Electric Slide took the lead with 33 percent of the
contestants' votes, while 27 percent said the Macarena.
* Dancing Star: Just as Smith received the most consumer votes to win the
reality TV dancing title, he also won over the hearts of the Durango
Tango contestants as 54 percent of the contestants said that Smith was
their favorite reality TV dancing star.
* Dance Fever: Nearly all of the contestants 63 percent stated that
dancing is one if their favorite pastimes.
About the 2008 Dodge Durango
The 2008 Dodge Durango offers the "Goldilocks effect" -- not too big, not too small, but just right, for a distinctively Dodge sport-utility vehicle standing out among increasingly soft competitors. With spacious third-row seating and cargo room to spare (rare in the full-size SUV segment), the 2008 Dodge Durango offers a full range of top-end comfort and convenience features at a great value. The starting Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price on the 2008 Dodge Durango is $27,200, including destination charge. Customers who demand performance and efficiency may choose between three engines: a standard 3.7-liter V-6, a new E85-compatible, 4.7-liter V-8 engine with the Flexible-Fuel Vehicle (FFV) designation as well as improved fuel economy with more horsepower and torque, and a 5.7-liter HEMI(R) V-8 with Chrysler LLC's fuel-saving Multi-displacement System (MDS). Dodge Durango stands out with many best-in-class design elements, and isn't afraid to be different.
About the Dodge Brand
With a U.S. market share of 6 percent, Dodge is the Chrysler Group's best-selling brand and the fifth largest nameplate in the U.S. automotive market. In 2006, Dodge sold than 1.3 million vehicles in the global market. Dodge continues to lead the minivan market with a 20 percent market share in the U.S. In the highly competitive truck market, Dodge has a 15 percent market share. Dodge is also entering key European volume segments with Nitro and Caliber.
About Boys Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas
The Boys Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas began operations in 1965 as part of a national youth development movement consisting of Boys Girls Clubs of America with 4,000 local organizations that collectively serve more than 4.5 million young people. The Boys Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas is an organization that stands for traditional values, while providing progressive programs that address the problems faced by the youth of today, including substance abuse, teen pregnancy, gangs and violence. During the first four decades of service in Dallas, the Boys Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas have served over 100,000 members
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