Dancing for Toyotas Returns to 2009 WAS

Dancing for Toyotas Returns to 2009 WAS

A signature Washington Auto Show promotion is back after an enthusiastic response from contestants and fans alike last year. Dancing for Toyotas will encore onsite at the Auto Show, schedule to run Feb. 4 – 8, 2009, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. In contention will be a brand new Toyota Camry Hybrid and a Prius for contest winners of the ballroom dancing competition. A third car – a Toyota Yaris – will be awarded to a fan who votes for the winners online.

Thousands crowded around the sweeping 45-foot auto show dance floor to watch last year″s contest finale, hosted by Monique Coleman of High School Musical, and voted online to determine who got to trade in their dancing shoes for the keys to a new Toyota. Event sponsors include the Washington Area Toyota Dealers, Arthur Murray Dance Studios, WANADA, and MIX 107.3 FM.

Building on the huge success of the event last year, we couldn″t think of a more entertaining and exciting way to give away three Toyotas, said Tamara Darvish of DARCARS Toyota and chairman of WANADA.

A thrilling live reality show, the Dancing for Toyotas contest pairs each competitor, an amateur dancer, with an instructor from Arthur Murray for a chance to win either a new Toyota Prius or Camry Hybrid. Male dancers will compete in Swing Dancing and female dancers, the Cha Cha.

Six male and female contest finalists have been selected by a panel of judges and will shortly begin six weeks of dance instruction before competing on-site with their Arthur Murray partner at The Washington Auto Show on Fri., Feb. 6 and Sat., Feb. 7, with the finale scheduled for Sun., Feb 8. The dancers will perform before a panel of celebrities and dance experts – and for an audience of hundreds of thousands, who will be able to vote for their favorite dancers and register online for a chance to win the third Toyota – a new Yaris!

At the Dancing for Toyotas stage, attendees also will be able to view audition videos, watch the previous night″s competition, vote for their favorite contestants, and even learn dance moves from Arthur Murray instructors.

We″re eager to get started this year, said Mark Theiss, Arthur Murray Dance Studios. Our participating dance instructors are ready to get on with the practice sessions. Prior to the performances, Arthur Murray instructors will present their own award-winning dance routines for the audience.

The Washington Area Toyota Dealers have a long history of giving away new cars in the most innovative ways at the Washington Auto Show, evidenced by the ever popular and emulated Hands On Contest, which preceded Dancing for Toyotas.

The 67th staging of The Washington Auto Show: The Automotive Seat of Power will bring more than 700 new cars, trucks, mini-vans and sport utility vehicles from over 42 domestic and import automakers to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center from Feb. 4 – 8, 2009.

For more information and a complete list of rules and submission requirements, visit the Washington Auto Show online at www.washingtonautoshow.com. Throughout the event, fans will be able to check out the profiles and photos of each contestant on the Washington Auto Show″s website.