Saturday, March 31, 2018

How to do a Bar/Bat Mitzvah


HOW TO DO A BAR/BAT MITZVAH

Bar/Bat Mitzvahs are probably the easiest parties to perform at. Some of these parties can be more expensive than some weddings, but don’t let that bother you. Be ready to give your best (just like you do at all your parties). Bar Mitzvah (BOY) or Bat Mitzvah (GIRL) signifies at age 13 (Usually) that this boy/girl is passing from childhood to adulthood. In some cases your client might NOT want some or all of the Traditional activities associated with a Bar/Bat Mitzvah done at their affair, so it is good to ask them first what they want. If you are really lucky it will be just a party or record hop. It is really important that when you talk to your client that you know what you are talking about. So here is what you need to know.

Introductions: Usually after the cocktail hour, and before the blessing. The DJ Will introduce The Parents and the Bar/Bat Mitzvahs brothers and sisters (if any) and then The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Themselves. Sometimes Grandparents can be included too.

Blessing: The Blessing of bread. Motzi (Pronounced: HA-Moat-sea) and wine Kiddish (Pronounced: Kid-ish). The Blessing of the bread & wine is always combined & called just MOTZI. This blessing is usually done by the child’s Father, Grandfather, or Rabbi. Traditionally done after the introductions and before the dinner. It is the DJs job to get everyone’s attention for the blessing.

Toast: The toast is usually given by the Host (Father). It welcomes & thanks everyone for coming to the event. It is a good idea to remind the client of this on your client call. Traditionally done right after the Blessing.

Candle lighting Ceremony: Usually happens right after the toast but can take place after dinner. In some cases the DJ does the announcing in others the child calls up the people. The ceremony requires members of the child’s family & close friends, light 1 to 11 candles on the cake. The 12th & 13th candles are reserved for the child’s parents & peace or those who could not be here (deceased). Each candle can be lit by 1 person or a group of people. The order should be ascending representing the closeness to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah. For example friends of the family & aunts and uncles are generally first to light the candles while grandparents, brothers, sisters & best friends wait till the end. Background music for the ceremony can include a long up-beat instrumental or even the traditional candle lighting medley, or sometimes you must use a song for each candle. It would be a good idea to create a CD of these songs in order. After all the candles have been lit, Dim the lights & sing Happy Bar or Bat Mitzvah just like happy birthday but change the words. Then have the child blow out the Candles. Now is an Excellent time to start a HORA (Hava-Nagila) to get the crowd up & dancing. During this time you can call 4 strong men to help lift the child on a chair and parade them around the dance floor.

Parent Dance: The child might want to dance with their mother or father. Either they will pick a song or have you suggest one. Sunrise sunset from fiddler on the roof is a great Jewish father daughter dance, and for the mother son you could suggest Bette Middler’s Wind Beneath My Wings.

That’s it! Now when you talk to your client it may not all go this way but if they ask you, you now know the order! Once these formalities are over the party turns into a mixture of a 8th grade dance & a Wedding. Lots of music & ACTIVITIES for the KIDS as well as Music & Activities for the Adults are a great plan of attack. Activities such as Huggie Bear, Coke & Pepsi, Limbo, Air Band, & Twist Contest, you can even do Vinnies famous MUMMY WRAP! Dances like the Cha Cha slide & even the Electric slide work well too. Make sure YOU DO A LOT OF STUFF, unless your client says NO. Make sure your great personality shines and all will go well!

CANDLE LIGHTING CEREMONY GUIDE

MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE,…….WILL EVERYONE PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS.

GOOD (AFTERNOON/EVENING) LADIES & GENTLEMEN, MY NAME IS ___________________

FROM THE PROS & ON BEHALF OF ___________ & ___________ I’D LIKE TO WELCOME YOU
MOTHER FATHER
TO__________________
NAME OF HALL

AT THIS TIME IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE OUR HOST & HOSTESS

______________ & _______________________ AND NOW OUR (Bar/Bat) MITZVAHS
MOTHER FATHER

BROTHERS & SISTERS _________________________________________________

Have everyone stand………….

NOW LADIES & GENTLEMEN LETS HEAR IT FOR OUR (Bar/Bat) mitzvah___________________

Have the entire family stand behind the cake. Arrange beforehand with the Photographer the best place to stand.
Write down the number of candles for the next section.

You may be seated…….. AT THIS TIME I’D LIKE TO INTRODUCE SOME VERY SPECIAL

PEOPLE TO LIGHT CANDLED IN HONOR OF OUR (BAR/BAT) MITZVFA. WHEN I CALL YOUR

NAME PLEASE COME UP AND LIGHT A CANDLE.

Suggested order of candle lighting follows. Fill in the Blanks. Some adaptation may need to be made. When introducing people say:”I’d like to call up…..or let’s have a nice hand for…or mat I introduce to you……

Maternal Grandparents __________________________________________________

Paternal Grandparents ___________________________________________________

Great grandparents ______________________________________________________

Great Aunts & Uncles ________________________________________________


Aunts & Uncles _________________________________________________________



Cousins ________________________________________________________________


Other Relatives __________________________________________________________


Family or Parent’s Friends __________________________________________________


Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s Friends __________________________________________________


Brothers & Sisters _________________________________________________________


Mother & Father __________________________________________________________

(optional) and now to light a candle in honor & memory of those who could not be with us today. (Turn down music a bit or play a special song)

AND NOW TO LIGHT A FINAL CANDLE _____________________________________________

At this point dim the lights sing happy Bar/Bat mitzvah have the child make a wish and then blow out the candles. Now is a GREAT time for a HORA (Hava-Nagila).

Any questions just place a question or comment here.


Friday, March 30, 2018

The Singing Wedding Gram

The Singing Wedding Gram

This is an activity you can include the bridal party in or any group of people, but the Bridal Party works best. During the end of inner you ask the entire bridal party to line up (Boy girl, boy girl) in front of the bride & groom. Have them interlock arms and hand them a lyrics sheet you have copied with the words to a Cute wedding song.

I use Going to The Chapel by The Dixie Cups, but you can use whatever song you want. Just make sure you copy the lyrics for the people. You start the song have them sway back and forth and sing the song as you take your cordless mic and put it in front of each person in the line as they sing a bar or two of the song. You can build up the hype and call it your gift to the bride & groom. At The end have the audience give all of them a round of applause.

The Lyrics to Going to the Chapel are as follows:

CHORUS

Goin' to the chapel, and we're, goin' to get Ma-aa-aried,
Goin' to the chapel, and we're, goin' to get Ma-aa-aried,
gee, I really love you, and we're, goin' to get Ma-aa-aried,
goin' to the chapel of love.

1) Spring is here The-e-e shy is blue,
Birds all sing as, if they knew,
Today's the day, we say I do,
and we'll never be lonely anymore, because we're

CHORUS

2) Bells will ring, The-e-e sun will shine,
I'll be his and he'll be mine,
We'll love until, the end of time,
and we'll never be lonely anymore, because we're

CHORUS

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Bride and Father dance ideas

Bride and Father dance ideas

The following songs can be used for your Bride & Father dance CAN YOU NAME MORE?

The Times of your life - Lane and Nichols or Paul Anka
Through the years - Dorff and Panzer or Kenny Rogers
Turn Around - Belafonte, Greene, and Reynolds or Harry Belafonte
Thanks for the memory - Robin and Rainger or Bob Hope
My heart belongs to daddy - Porter
Thank heaven for little girls (gigi) - Lerner and Loewe
My Girl - Robinson and White or The Temptations
How sweet it is (to be loved by you) - Holland Holland, and Dozier or Marvin Gaye
Sunrise Sunset (Fiddler on the roof) - Harnick and Bock
Daddy's little Girl - Al Martino
Wind Beneath my wings - Siblar and Henley or Bette Middler
Daddy's Hands - Holly Dunn
In my daughters eyes - Martina McBride
My little girl - Steve Kirwan


There are Hundreds more so PLEASE Reply to this and add your own!

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

What not to ask a DJ

CHECK BELOW FOR YOUR REQUEST

1. PLAY SOMETHING GOOD...SOMETHING WE CAN DANCE TO!

The D.J. has to play for more than one person...so, what you may hate
may be another's favorite song and EVERYTHING played here can be danced
to one way or another.



2. WOULD YOU PLAY SOMETHING WITH A BEAT?

BE SERIOUS! We know of NO songs played in a club that don't have some sort of a beat!



3. I DON'T KNOW WHO SINGS IT AND I DON'T KNOW THE NAME OF THE SONG, BUT IT GOES LIKE THIS...

Please don't sing for the D.J.! They have to put up with smoke-filled
rooms and dangerous decibel levels all night. Do them a favor and DON'T
give them a rendition of your favorite song!



4. EVERYBODY WANTS TO HEAR IT!

Oh sure, you polled EVERYONE in the club and, as their spokesperson, you are requesting the song.



5. I CAN GET LAID IF YOU PLAY IT!

If you are GOOD ENOUGH, you can get laid to anything!! (also been known as "buy the album and get laid for a month!")



6. I WANT TO HEAR IT NEXT!

The only people who can get away with that statement write the D.J.'s paycheck or tip him $50!



7. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANNA HEAR...WHAT DO YOU HAVE?

It's a lot easier for you to go have another beer and figure out what
you want to hear than it is for the D.J. to recite the name of EVERY
record in the booth!



8. HEY YO, NOBODY CAN DANCE TO THIS!

It is not advisable to say this when the dance floor is packed (but,
some people do anyway)! However, even if there is only ONE person on the
floor, it STILL contradicts the statement.



9. EVERYBODY WILL DANCE TO IT IF YOU PLAY IT!

The D.J. won't...I guess that blows a hole in that theory!



SOME ASSORTED THINGS NOT TO SAY

If you ask for a song and the D.J. says he just played it, DON'T SAY,
"Well, I just got here." It makes absolutely no difference. DON'T SAY,
"Is this the only kind of music you play?" If you go to a Chinese
restaurant, you wouldn't ask for Italian food. Rock clubs play rock,
alternative clubs play alternative, discos play disco, etc., etc.,
etc... If you ask for a song, BE SPECIFIC. DON'T SAY, "I wanna hear
something, anything but this!" Try going to the bar and saying, "I wanna
drink something, anything but this..." You can't complain if you're not
SPECIFIC. HOWEVER, if you ARE specific and the D.J. says he doesn't
have the song, DON'T SAY, "What?!! What do you mean you don't have it?
What kind of D.J. are you? Why don't you get into the wonderful world of
fast food! You obviously don't know what you're doing as a D.J.!"...

HE MAY SHOOT YOU!!!

Special Note

A nightclub D.J. gets very little respect. They are expected to play
everything for everybody. It is impossible to satisfy all to the people
all of the time, yet club jocks are expected to do just that. If a radio
jock tells his listeners a song is a hit, the majority of the people
think it must be "because they said so on the radio." However, 80f the
time, that same song was being played in a club long before the radio
DISCOVERED the NEW song. So, give the D.J. a break! The next time you
request a song, stop and

THINK before you speak.

And above all, if the DJ has one hand on the mixer, one hand on a TURNTABLE - wearing headphones,

DON'T BUG HIM OR HER!!! "

OTHER Things not to say to a DJ

when asking him for a song....

1) When are you going to play something good? - Firstly, you're saying
my music is crap. Secondly, you appear to expect me to read your mind
and work out what you like. I suggest you leave before I stab you with
this ballpoint pen. Sod Off!!


2) If you play XXXXX everyone will dance! - Nothing is guaranteed to be
further from the truth. If I play this track everyone will flock off the
dance floor leaving you stood on your own in the middle. Until you feel
stupid and leave. Having killed the atmosphere. Thanks a bunch.


3) Why you playing this shit? Nobody likes it! - That would explain the
packed dance floor would it? If you don't particularly care for it sir,
please wait 10 minutes and the music will change. To something else you
can whinge about.


4) Can you play XXXX in the next 10 minutes because I've got to go home?
- No. I'm trying to entertain those who are staying for the whole
night. I'm not going to destroy the atmosphere I've cultivated to play
The Village People at 9:30. You want to hear it, you wait until 11:00ish
when it'll actually go down well.


5) Have you got any dance music? - Would that be House, Garage, Trance,
Hard House, Disco, Euro pop, Hi Energy, Techno, Vocal House, Drum n Bass
(ugh!) or Happy Hardcore?


6) Can I have a look at your CDs? - No. They are the tools of my living.
They are arranged in a specific order. They are also a convenient size
to hide under a jacket as you leave. You thieving little pikey.


7) What have you got? - Look, I carry over 250 CDs, with over 5000
tracks. I’m not about to list them for you. And no, you can't look. No.
You can't press that button either.


8) When are you going to play something recent? - Oooh. About 30 seconds
ago. And I'll probably play some more as soon as I've played some 70s
for your Mom. Patience is a virtue. Now sod off.


9) Can you play [insert heavy metal tune]? - No. This is a wedding. You
are the only person in this room who actually like to make his/her ears
bleed. I know you have a bedroom wall full of their posters and you
tattooed the lead singer's name on your arm with a compass and ink. But
believe me, no one else likes them. And, contrary to your firm belief,
the sight of you standing alone in the middle of the dance floor
flicking your long greasy hair backwards and forwards, killing off your
remaining brain cells, will not make young women weak at the knees.
Queasy in the stomach maybe.


What your DJ actually replies;    "Certainly. I'll try and fit it in if I've got it."

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Are You A Good DJ or a Lazy DJ?

Are You A Good DJ or a Lazy DJ?

Let's focus on the little things that separate the Good DJs from the Lazy DJs. Some of you will read this column and say to yourself,“I've been doing it my way for years and it works fine, I'm not going to change” and to you I say “That's a shame”. None of us are ever so great that we cannot improve.

Now we are going to tackle one of the many problems in making a good first impression at your party – Introductions. In the course of handling complaint calls from our clients, I've come to notice that one of the biggest problems DJs have with the introductions is the fact that they don't take charge of the situation. When do you start to take charge of the situation? During the phone call. While you are talking to the bride on the phone, it is imperative that you get the order of the bridal party and the correct pronunciations of their names. It is too hectic the day of the event to get all of this information correct and maintain an impression of professionalism. In addition, before you line up the bridal party you should be practicing the pronunciations of their names. This way when you do line them up and you rattle off the correct pronunciation of their names, they will be impressed. (GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION). There have been countless times where I have nailed the pronunciation of somebody's difficult last name during the line up and they turn to me and go “damn you're good”. (Yep that's right pencil neck, now listen up bridal party, I'm the man and I'm in charge)

Do not allow the catering staff to take your intro sheet and run off into the hallway to line the bridal party up unaccompanied (Go with them). If you don't go with them and there are changes or problems, you are going to be informed of them second hand and that is where the problems can occur. Take the initiative and line up the bridal party yourself, even if the staff offers to do so. However, if the staff insists on doing it themselves, go with them and be cooperative. As the staff lines them up, follow up behind and confirm the names yourself. Be a good DJ, not a lazy DJ.

The purpose of lining up the bridal party is multi functional. 1. Make sure you have the correct order for the introductions. 2. Confirm the pronunciations of names. 3 Evaluate the Child Factor (are they coming in, are they sleeping, are they coming in with Mom and Dad, are they screaming, are they being a pain, are they shy, etc). You need to be aware. 4. A last minute confirmation of the days events with the Bride and Groom. (First Dance, Toast, Grace, etc.) 5 Lastly, it allows you to get a feel for the Bride & Groom, the Parents and the Bridal Party and pump them up for the big day.

Leave nothing to chance when you walk out to the CENTER of the dance floor to do your introductions. If you do, then you leave open the possibility to make a mistake, look confused and make a bad first impression. You are the ring leader, this is your moment, be confident, be poised and be prepared. Be a good DJ, not a lazy DJ.

Monday, March 26, 2018

In Case you have to do a blessing


This post is just in case you arrive at the hall and the Bride says, "Oh, I forgot the clergyman (Rev., priest, rabbi) won't be here. Can You say Grace? You don't want to SAY NO To Your Bride or NOT LOOK Like SUPERMAN so here is a little help:

Roman Catholic

"Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen"

Protestant

"Bless O Lord, this food to our use, and us to Thy service, and make us ever mindful of the needs of others, in Jesus' name. Amen"

Jewish

"Lift up your hand toward the sanctuary and bless The Lord. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who bringest forth bread from the earth. Amen"

Eastern Orthodox

" O Christ our God, bless the food and drink of Thy servants, for Thou art Holy, both now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen:"

This is from an old List I Dug Up!

If you have any more we would all like to know them so PLEASE post them as a reply Here!

Peace, Love, and God Bless You!

Greggie C


Sunday, March 25, 2018

What is an Anniversary or Marriage Dance?


The "Anniversary Dance", wedding or marriage dance can be done one of two ways:

1 - Starting with the longest married couples and working your way down to the bride and groom.
2 - Starting with ALL the married couples on the dance floor and working your way down to the longest married couple (typically done in place of the "Garter & Bouquet").

This month I will be talking about Option #1. As with the other "Dance Floor Openers", I will typically do this before dinner as a way to open / start my second set of then night if...
- The first set didn't bring many people to the dance floor for whatever reason
- The bride and groom are looking for me to be very involved, a lot activities, very lively, etc.
- The party / people need a good kick-start to get going
- The crowd is on the older side
- There appears to be a significant amount of older married couples
- The bride and groom are a fun couple, but not exactly comfortable with a "fast dance" in front of all their guests
- A fast song might be too much for the guests right away - I don't want to scare them away
- There are some family "situations" that make the Aniversary dance un-doable.

I will NOT do the "Anniversary Dance"

- If I'm aware of an older relative recently passing away (could be uncomfortable)
- The bride and groom already want me to dedicate a song to their Parents, Grandparents, Aunt & Uncle etc for their
Anniversary (it would be repetitious)

Once I've decided I'm going to do the dance, I have to set it up properly for it to be successful and the set up is basically the same as the other two. The first thing I do is walk over to the B&G and let them know that in 5 minutes / after this next song etc., that I will be doing an activity to get things moving / people up and dancing. I do this to make sure they stay in the room as they are the last and most important piece to the activity. (nothing worse than inviting the B&G to the dance floor and someone yelling out "The Bride is in the bathroom")

Next I walk out to the dance floor, and ask for everyone's attention (it's very important to get everyone's attention for this activity, because the instructions are very important and if you are unable to properly convey those instructions to MOST of the guests, you could be setting yourself up for trouble, as no one will know what's going on.) Once I have their attention, here's my stuff...

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the next dance we'll be doing is called the Anniversary Dance and it's a very simple thing to do. As soon as I start playing the next song, I would like all of the couples that have been married for ***50 YEARS or more, to please make their way to the dance floor. After which, I will then invite all of those couples married ***40 Years or more out to the dance floor, and so on until we have all of the married couples here tonight out on the dance floor. So once again, when I start playing the next song I NEED ALL the couples married 50 YEARS or more to make their way to the dance floor."

Once I have made my way back to my equipment. I start the song and once again announce "Will all those couples married 50 YEARS or more please make your way to the dance floor." It is at this point you wait and see what happens. First off, if a couple has been married for 50 years they're probably old and slow, so give them time to get to the dance floor before moving on to the the next group (40 years). Secondly, if you only get a few couples to come to the dance floor, it's time to lay a little of your showmanship on the crowd and create one of those moments that separate you from the average DJ. If I get 5 couples or less out to the dance floor, I once again take mic in hand and make my way to the floor. I walk over to one of the couples, politely lean in and ask them (off the mic) "how long have you been married?". I then get on the mic and announce "Ladies and Gentlemen ...54 years, how about a nice round of applause." I then do this for every other couple on the dance floor (hopefully picking the longest married couple last). By doing this little bit of showmanship you are
1 - Creating a very special moment
2 - Honoring some special people (typically the B&Gs parents, grandparents etc.)
3 - Grabbing everyone's attention and guaranteeing that the rest of the married couples will participate
4 - Showcasing your talent (trust me, if done right, they'll know who you are)

Once done with this step, I move off the floor back to my equipment and announce "And now L&G all of the couples married 40 years or more, please make your way to the dance floor" and so on until you have everyone on the floor. Here's the order in which I proceed
1 - 50 years or more
2 - 40 years or more
3 - 30 years or more
4 - 20 years or more
5 - 10 years or more
6 - 5 years or more
7 - more than 1 year
8 - more than a day
9 - "all those couples married today, please make your way to the dance floor" (obviously the B&G, and usually accompanied by a round of applause without asking)
10 - "and last but not least all of those couples who feel like they're married, are fooling around, can't stand each other" etc (pick one or make up your own little funny punch line)

Once the song is over, I kick into one of the classic wedding dance songs, because you have old and young people on the dance floor and you want to keep them there.

Some quick little notes and thoughts about the song and starting point. I always use the 5 minute version of "Always and Forever" for my Anniversary Dance, because the song is a classic known by young and old alike and I need a good 5 minutes to pull this off properly. While the song you choose is not as important, the length is. You cannot do this properly in 3 1/2 minutes, especially if you do the part where you walk out to the dance floor and honor the first few couples on the floor. As for the starting point I used "50 Years" as an example, but I have started as low as "30 Years", it all depends on the crowd. Before you start, take a look around the room, if it doesn't look like anyone there has been married for 50 years, back up a little. Better to be safe than start your dance with nobody moving.

Make it your own and make it work. The B&G will be happy, the guests will be impressed and everybody will be dancing. And what did you do? Nothing more than take the initiative and play a song