Cha Cha:
Brand New Man Brooks & Dunn
Smooth – Santana ft. Rob Thomas
Dance With Me – Debelah Morgan
I Need To Know – Marc Anthony*
Friends In Low Places Garth Brooks
That Don't Impress Me Much Shania Twain
A Hard Days Night Beatles
Ain't To Proud To Beg Temptations*
Chain Of fools Aretha franklin
Do Wah Diddy Diddy Manfred Mann
Everybody Loves To Cha Cha Cha Sam Cooke*
Loco Motion Little Eva
Tea For Two – Tommy Dorsey*
Jitterbug:
In The Mood / Chattanooga Choo Choo / Pennsylvania 6-5000/Little Brown Jug – Glen Miller*
Take The A Train – Duke Ellington
Swing The Mood – Jive Bunny*
Rock Around The Clock – Bill Hailey & The Comets*
Jailhouse Rock / Blue Suede Shoes – Elvis Presley
Mack The Kinfe – Bobby Darin
Sexy & 17 – Stray Cats
At The Hop – Danny & The Juniors
Foxtrot
Fly Me To The Moon/ I’ve Got You Under My Skin – Frank Sinatra
L-O-V-E – Nat King Cole
Fever – Peggy lee / Michael Buble
Your Nobody Til Somebody Loves You – Dean Martin
It had To be You – Harry Connick Jr.
King Of The Road Roger Miller
Beyond The Sea Bobby Darin
Get Your Kicks on Route 66 Four Freshmen/ Nat King Cole
Mack The Knife Bobby Darin
Red Roses for A Blue Lady Vic Dana
There Goes My Baby Drifters
You Always Hurt The One You Love Henry Frogman
A Wink and A Smile Harry Connick Jr.
A Kiss To Build A Dream On – Louis Armstrong
Crazy Love / Have I Told You lately – Van Morrison
Triple Swing:
String Of Pearls / Tuxedo Junction/St. Louis Blues March– Glen Miller
Old Time Rock N Roll – Bob Seger
Runaround Sue – Dion
Still Rock N Roll To Be – Billy Joel
How Sweet It Is – Marvin Gaye
I Love You – Martina McBride
Im A Believer – Monkees / Smash Mouth
Im Gonna Be (500 Miles) – Proclaimers
Signed, Sealed, delivered – Stevie Wonder
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole
This Kiss – Faith Hill
Rockin’ At Midnight - Honeydrippers
Foxtrot/Triple Swing:
Come Go With Me – Del Vikings
I Hear A Symphony – Supremes
Moondance – Van Morrison
Triple Swing/Hustle/Cha Cha:
My First, My Last, My Everything – Barry White
Foxtrot/Two Step/Single Swing:
Forever And Ever Amen – Randy Travis
Waltz
Come Away With Me – Norah Jones
Open Arms - Journey
Could I Have This Dance - Ann Murray*
Pocket Full of Gold - Vince Gill
A Lover's Prayer - Dion & Belmonts
Pretty Paper - Roy Orbinson
Rock & Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
Take It To The Limit - Eagles
Rainbow Connection – Muppet Movie
Viennese Waltz
Cant Help Falling In Love – Elvis Presley
I’ll Be – Edwin McCain
Delilah Tom Jones
Norwegin Wood Beatles
Scarborough Fair Simon & Garfunkel
Quickstep
Mr Sandman Cordettes
Summer In the City Lovin Spoonful
Rumba
Sway – Michael Buble’ *
A groovy Kind Of Love Wayne Fontana
A Summer Song Chad & Jeremy
And I Love Her Beatles
As Tears Go By Rolling Stones
Blue Bayou Roy Orbinson
Goin Out Of My Head Little Anthony
It's Now Or Never Elvis * (great one!)
Let's Get It On Marvin Gaye
My Cherie Amour Steve Wonder
Rain Drops Dee Clark
Under The Boardwalk Drifters*
I Cross My Heart – George Strait
Come Monday Jimmy Buffett
Best Of My Love Eagles
Slow Hand Pointer Sisters
West Coast Swing I Feel Lucky - Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mother In Law Huey Lewis / Ernie K Doe
Duke Of Earl Gene Chandler
Game Of Love Wayne Fontana
Mustang Sally Wilson Pickett
Joy To the World Three Dog Night
Maggie May Rod Stewart
The Way You Make Me Feel / Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
This Love – Maroon 5
Mambo
Mambo Italiano – Rosemary Cloony
Papa Loves Mambo Perry Como
Tequilla Champs
Because You Loved Me Celine Dion
Samba
In the Summer Time Mongo Jerry
Jump In The Line – Harry Belefonte
Cuban Pete – Jim Carrey
Rhythm Divine – Enrique Iglesias
Aint It Funny – Jennifer Lopez
Kiss Kiss – Stella Soleil
Tic Tic Tac – Fruit De Passion
Merengue
Hot Hot Hot Xaviar Cougat/ Buster Poindexter
Wolly Bully -Sam The Sham & Pharohs
You Can Call Me Al -Paul Simon
La Bamba Los Lobos/Ritchie Valens
Suavemente / Tu Sunrisa– Elvis Crespo*
Salsa:
Refugio De Amor (You Are My Home) – Chayanne
Sin Tu Amor – Christian Castro*
No me Ames – Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony
Swing/Lindy Hop:
Crazy Little Thing Call Love – Queen
Candyman – Christina Aguilera
Sing Sing Sing – Benny Goodman
Swing:
Jump Jive & Wail – Louie Prima/ Brian Setzer*
You & Me and The Bottle Makes Three – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Zoot Suit Riot – Cherry Poppin Daddys
Tell her About It – Billy Joel
Crocodile Rock – Elton John
Two Step:
River Of Dreams – Billy Joel
Lady In Red – Chris DeBurgh
Thank You – Dido
Tango:
Blue Tango – Leroy Anderson
Objection – Shakira
Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Tony Bennett*
La Cumparsita – Julio Iglesias
You can do:
younger. Find links on how to do these dances at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=discjockeystube
What separates a solid DJ from a great DJ? Preparation and execution. This worksheet will focus on all of the commonly used techniques a great DJ will use to be
completely prepared for their performance.
The following are the “behind the scenes” responsibilities you should take note of.
Call your client EARLY! 2 weeks or more out and discuss date, time, location, music selections (first dance, parent dances, intro or cake cutting music etc.), party dances, special
requests and announcements and what your approach to the event should be
(lively, less-interactive, somewhere in between).
Create a burned CD of all of the most important selections (intro, first dance, parent dances, bridal party dance, cake, garter bouquet and special
dedications). By creating this one disc with all special dances in the order
will make it easier to manage the music and eliminate miscues (playing the wrong
song) and fumbling for the song.
Before the event date, check your collection to make sure you have the songs you need. Check to make sure the CD is in the sleeve. Pull it out to make sure
it's not cracked (last weekend a DJ pulled out the first dance and the CD had a
crack across it).
Leave plenty of drive time. Arrive 1 hour to 1 ½ hours before the start time. Take your time unloading and setting up. Rushing through a load in and set-up can
cause your performance to suffer. Before you leave the car, check your contract
and refresh yourself with the names of the bride and groom. Be prepared if you
happen to bump into them or family members. Also a plus to show the banquet
manager you are familiar with who you are performing for.
Greet the Banquet Manager to quickly go over place to set-up and time line of events. You must have a Pros T-shirt on and look professional.
Test your sound and microphone before guests arrive. Check your sound in front of the speakers. You sound should be bass-y and muffled behind your equipment. Don't
adjust from there. Evaluate the sound from the dance floor. Check your wireless
microphone. Walk out to the dance floor. Change the battery if the light is
dimming.
Organize your music. Lay it out on your table in the order it will be played.
Take a business card, turn it over and write the bride and groom's names on it and place it on your mixer in plain view to refer to during the evening. Refer to
the “bride and groom” by using their names, “John and Mary.”
Meet with the bride and groom about 20 minutes before show time to go over names and order. Also confirm whether parent dances will follow first dance or will be
after the cake cutting (most will opt to do them together at the beginning).
Rewrite the names phonetically if they are difficult to pronounce.
Go back to your equipment and recheck your cued music to make sure it is ready. Practice names over and over as you wait.
Return to the bridal party and assist the banquet manager in the “line up”. Go over names with each couple one last time and they are getting lined up. Return to
your equipment and wait for the sign from the banquet manager.
Hit Your Introduction...and off you go!
One of the things that I learned early on in my DJ career is the importance of being personal, approachable, and willing to go the extra mile. There is nothing a bride and groom appreciates more than a DJ who actually takes the time to listen and really evaluate their needs. I have found that the more organized and prepared a DJ is for an event, the smoother and better the party runs.
For this article, I will attempt to share a few little things that may seem insignificant to some, but that make a tremendous difference when it comes to the bride and groom. Most of the things I will share you may already know, but then again, it’s also good to get a reminder every once and awhile.
Brides love it when DJ’s call them in advance. The bride usually has a million things on their plate, and when a DJ can help alleviate some of that stress by taking away the musical responsibility, brides most times breathe a sigh of relief. I’ve found that brides appreciate a DJ that not only gets the musical requests that they want, but also takes the time to evaluate their requests, organize their requests, and put them together in a logical way that the party will flow beautifully and smoothly throughout the night. You’ll find that the more you pay attention to the specific requests, the easier it is to make the party a success.
Most brides and grooms usually struggle with their selection of their entrance songs, the garter/bouquet songs, and cake cutting songs. One way that you can go the extra mile, is to offer suggestions for each. By doing so, you’re helping to narrow down the choices for the client and also making it easier for the bride and or groom to decide what they want.
One of the biggest fears I’ve found that some DJ’s have is performing the entrances of the family members and bridal parties. The most common mistake is pronouncing the names of the people in the party wrong. This is something that should never happen, but often times occur more frequently than we would like. One way to fix this problem is to write out the names of each member being introduced phonetically. By doing this, it makes it easier to read the name correctly because it’s written the way it sounds. Another helpful hint is to have either the bride or groom pronounce the name of the person a few times out loud for you and then you repeat it back to assure that it is correct.
There’s no greater feeling than nailing the intros, having the first dances go smoothly, have the garter/bouquet go off without a hitch and the cake cutting song ready and looped. This is something that takes time to master, but is something that all DJ’s strive for each gig they do. One way to make sure that you have perfection each time is to have your music organized and lined up ready to go for the time it is needed. This can be done one of two ways. For those who still use CD’s, have each CD labeled with a sticky note or marker so that you know what the song is, what track number it is and when it is to be played. Another great hint is to put all the songs on one CD so the music is back to back. All you have to do is advance it each time the next track and you’re ready to go. For those using laptops, making a wait list with the songs ready to go would also be a huge asset for success.
Another no brainer, that I hate to even mention, but feel is important to mention is the importance of being on time. The company policy is to be there an hour early, however, sometimes if needed, it might be helpful to get there even earlier than that. By being set up and ready to go way in advance, that makes life easier for not only you, but for the wait staff as well. Also, this gives you time now to talk to whomever you need to talk with and get any final details that you need without having to run around last minute.
Something many DJ’s fail to remember that there are also videographers and photographers at their events. Some DJs will have special moments happen and they will never check to see if the videographers or photographers are ready to capture it. So, my suggestion to going the extra mile for this would be to be in contact with both the videographer and photographer throughout the night to ensure that you all are on the same page. Give the videographers and photographers a five to ten minute warning, so if they need to change film, or an SD card or change batteries, they have time to do so and still be ready. In turn it is also important to be in contact with the wait staff, preferable the maitr’d or one in charge to make sure that they are ready for each special event that takes place.
Having equipment working properly is essential to a successful party. There is nothing more embarrassing than having a microphone with a dead battery, a CD skipping or an electrical or technical malfunction. Though most of the time, technical difficulties are out of our control, but there are also ways to try to prevent them from happening. First, it’s important to always have fresh batteries as well as back ups. It’s amazing how quickly the life is drained from the batteries from usage. Second, always test the music you have before you play it. Like I said before there’s nothing more embarrassing than music stopping or skipping for a gig. Third, test your equipment before hand to make sure that all the levels are where they need to be. Though we can’t control everything, doing these little things can make a huge difference.
Dress to impress. You may not realize it, but your appearance is important. You are the one person that everyone is looking at once the party is underway. Make sure that your clothing is clean, neat, and that you’re groomed properly with combed hair. This is a great way to make a good impression. Remember, you’re not only representing yourself, but the Pros organization as well.
Finally, be ready and willing to go the extra mile even when it’s last minute. If a bride or groom decides to change a song, or add something unexpected to the event, do your best to accommodate and work it out even if it’s an inconvenience for you. For me, I hate more than anything having to say to a bride or groom, I am unable to provide that song or I am unable to do that for you, so I personally strive to do whatever it takes to make sure this never comes out of my mouth. A prime example of this: This past weekend I DJed a wedding for a Spanish couple. The bride had selected Daddy’s Little Girl for her father/daughter dance and wanted that to be their song. The night before the wedding, she called me up and said she wanted to change her father/daughter dance to a song called “Daddy” by TJ Loughran. I quickly found out that the only way to get this song was to order it from TJ’s website and that it would have to be shipped through the mail. Limewire, bear share, I Tunes, etc did not carry the song. Beings it was Saturday getting the CD shipped in time was impossible. However, I was determined to get the song for the bride. So I went the extra mile by researching the artist online. I looked for almost 3 hours until I found a phone number. I then called him personally and asked him if he could provide the song for me via email. To make a long story short, he sent me the song in email, I copied it, and the bride was nearly in tears that I went through such trouble to make her father/daughter dance special. Though these situations happen sometimes, and the easy thing to do would be to say, “I’m screwed” or “I’m sorry you’ll have to find an alternative,” try to think outside the box and go the extra mile and you’ll be amazed at what happens.
As I close, I hope that this has been helpful in seeing the importance of going the extra mile. You’ll find the brides and grooms will appreciate it, your company will appreciate it, and you’ll get satisfaction knowing that by going above and beyond the call of duty to make each event memorable and extraordinary. Plus the extra money you’ll make in tips always helps too. Until next time, keep doing a great job and remember that you can never go wrong by going the extra mile.
