Bar Mitzvah
Magical Bat Mitzvah Party On Sauvie Island
DJ Rich Ellis had the opportunity to perform at Ava’s Bat Mitzvah Party on Sauvie Island on Saturday, July 20, 2019 at Kruger’s Farm. He was also the DJ at sister Ella’s bat mitzvah party in 2015 and Steve Marker was the DJ for older brother Benny’s bar mitzvah in 2013. There will be one more for this family coming up in five years 🙂
Taking place outdoors under the giant oak tree behind Kruger’s Market, this open air celebration under string vintage lights, was described by one guest upon arrival as magical.
At most bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah parties, I normally lead the kids in some games before or after dinner. However, for this event, there was so much to do, including games like Cornhole, Croquet and a giant Jenga, plus hay rides.
Near the end of dinner, quite a few guests were dancing to the background music (always a good sign) and not long after ‘The Hora’ got everyone else out of their chairs immediately to begin a great night of dancing on the farm.
The floor was packed for every song from start to finish and the 160 guests in attendance brought the energy for big hit songs, “Stayin’ Alive” “Happy,” “Uptown Funk,” “Cant’ Stop the Feeling” and more.
Most guests were dancing on the main floor, but some were dancing where they were, like around the camp fire for s’mores
As twilight set in, the energy ramped up even more.
Mazel Tov Ava and thank you mom Anne for again choosing PRO DJs.
B’nai Mitzvah at MAC Club Portland Oregon
Steve Marker had ’em going at Leo and Ethan’s B’nai Mitzvah Saturday night, May 25, 2019 at the MAC Club in Portland. Mazel Tov boys!
B’not Mitzvah Celebration At MJCC Portland
DJ Rich Ellis had the opportunity to not only be the DJ, but also provide sound for the service at Liana and Sylvie’s B’not Mitzvah Celebration on Sunday, May 5, 2019 at Mittleman Jewish Community Center in Portland, Oregon.
Multiple microphones were needed for the two hour service, including a clip-on lapel microphone for the officiant and two boom microphones for the Torah readings.
Following the service, all guests were directed to the lobby for refreshments while the main ballroom was turned over for the reception. This allowed me time to beef up my sound system with a sub-woofer and set-up lighting for the dance floor.
After everyone returned, they formed two lines to welcome the girls to their party. I introduced them and per their request, played ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” for their entrance music.
After dancing a few songs, lunch was ready so I transitioned to some background music that included selections from Stevie Wonder, OneRepublic, Adele and more.
With the kids done eating quickly and time at a premium, I gathered the kids for some games that featured a fun version of “Who Knows Liana and Sylvie Best?” followed by a scavenger hunt.
After a toast and slideshow, I invited everyone out to dance to ‘The Hora’ and celebrate the twins on their b’not mitzvah with the traditional chair raising.
The floor was packed for nearly every song from then on and Sunday afternoon felt like a Saturday night.
Mazel Tov Liana and Sylvie and thank you Lisa and Noah for choosing PRO DJs.
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
“Rich was excellent from start to finish…a great communicator and willing to take on some extra sound duties for our service, which was a huge help. He helped us troubleshoot our microphone/sound needs to ensure we had great coverage throughout the service. Because the service ran a lot longer than we had hoped, the party got cut short so we didn’t get to do as much dancing as we would’ve liked. We were in good hands with Rich and are so glad we went with PRO DJS!” –Lisa Katon (Liana & Sylvie’s B’not Mitzvah) – Portland, OR
- Event Date: Sunday, May 5, 2019
- Event Type: B’not Mitzvah
- Event Location: Mittleman Jewish Community Center
- Event Staff: Rich Ellis
- Quality of Customer Service via Telephone: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service via Internet: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service at Event: Excellent
- Friendliness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Promptness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Professionalism of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Performance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Appearance: Excellent
- System Appearance: Excellent
- Sound Quality: Excellent
- Overall Volume Levels: Excellent
- Music Selection: Excellent
- Incorporation of Your Requests: Excellent
- Lighting Effects: Excellent
- Equipment Appearance: Excellent
- Overall Customer Service: Excellent
- Planning Assistance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Cooperation with Other Vendors: Excellent
- Overall Performance Rating: Excellent
- Would you recommend this service to others? Yes
Portland Bar Mitzvah at Tiffany Center
Portland Bar Mitzvah DJ Rich Ellis performed at Price’s Bar Mitzvah party on Saturday, March 30, 2018 at the Tiffany Center in Portland, Oregon. This event was held in the 4th floor Emerald Ballroom which holds about 300 people. 120 were originally expected, but with Oregon schools on Spring Break this week, the total was a little less.
I played a variety of background music selections as guests mingled and the kids enjoyed the photo booth with props and a game of Jenga that went at least 8 feet high.
After a slideshow and some games, most everyone came together on the dance floor for “The Hora” and chair raising.
Most guests appeared to have a great time dancing to hit songs old and new, including “Uptown Funk,” “September,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “I Gotta Feeling” and more.
Mazel Tov Price and thank you parents Tracy and Scott for choosing PRO DJs.
Isaac’s High Energy MJCC Bar Mitzvah
Isaac and his friends and family had a great time at his MJCC Bar Mitzvah celebration held at The Mittleman Jewish Community Center in Southwest Portland on Saturday, March 23, 2019.
This one began with the kids in the gym for laser tag while I played background music for the adults in the main ballroom. Isaac’s dad Joe requested a mix of standards and jazz that included Frank Sintra and Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach. The kids made their way to the ballroom about an hour later for dinner where Isaac requested a background set of low energy EDM aka chill music 🙂
After dinner was a slide show and then I led the kids in some games, including “Name That Tune” and two rowdy versions of the Scavenger Hunt.
Around 8pm I invited everyone out for “The Hora” and chair raising. A conga line formed naturally during the next song and the dance floor was packed for big hits “I Gotta Feeling,” “Twist & Shout,” “Cha Cha Slide” and more.
The recent movie about the band Queen “Bohemian Rhapsody” is really popular with the kids and that song proved to be a great choice to finish up the night.
Mazel Tov Isaac and thank you Jill and Joe for choosing PRO DJs.
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
Submitted by Jill Ory (Isaac’s Bar Mitzvah)
- Event Date: March 23, 2019
- Event Type: Bar Mitzvah
- Event Location: Mjcc
- Event Staff: Rich Ellis
- Quality of Customer Service via Telephone: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service via Internet: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service at Event: Excellent
- Friendliness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Promptness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Professionalism of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Performance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Appearance: Excellent
- System Appearance: Excellent
- Sound Quality: Excellent
- Overall Volume Levels: Excellent
- Music Selection: Excellent
- Incorporation of Your Requests: N/A
- Lighting Effects: Good
- Equipment Appearance: Excellent
- Overall Customer Service: Excellent
- Planning Assistance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Cooperation with Other Vendors: Excellent
- Overall Performance Rating: Excellent
- Would you recommend this service to others? Yes
