At the age of 14 Abra attended her cousin’s Bar Mitzvah party and saw for the first time what an MC/DJ and Interactive dancer crew could do. It was nothing like her Bat Mitzvah where an accordion player piped out traditional tunes and an off-key version of the Macarena. Abra played every game and danced every dance. She just couldn’t sit down. The MC pull her aside after the party and told her when she turned 18 she should come work for them. She counted down the days and called for a job 4 years later.
While attending Northwestern University in Evanston IL, she worked the Chicago Bar Mitzvah circuit every weekend for four years. She then took her interactive MC skills ‘out to sea’ for a 3 year stint with Carnival Cruise Lines. Abra loved working at sea. And she was very good at it. So good, in fact, that she moved up from Kid Counselor to Assistant Cruise Director faster than a sunburn sets on a pasty passenger from Pennsylvania.
Great as the gig was, her sea legs only lasted so long. She yearned for more and with no job and nothing to lose, she packed up (what little she had) and headed west. It didn’t take her long to land in San Francisco where she found a job with the Jewish Community Federation and contacted Denon & Doyle. We are proud to have the best female MC in Northern California with her incredible people and party skills, knowledge of Jewish traditions and killer dance moves.
“Shana Tova to you, too!! I meant to send out a huge THANK YOU before now but the out of town guests just left this morning and we were also busy celebrating the holiday yesterday. We all (extended family and friends) had THE best time Saturday night. What a wonderful way to celebrate Eliana. You were fantastic. I loved that you got our friends and family on (and to stay on!) the dance floor. Just perfect and as we wanted. The next day, Eliana took me aside to tell me that the night was perfect, in every way, and gave me a big thank you and hug. You over delivered. Alexa is three years away from her bat mitzvah and we have our fingers-crossed you will still be MCing when her turn comes around.”
-Courtney Klinge, Presidio Log Cabin, September 12
“Thank you for making it a very memorable and amazing celebration. As you could see, Dylan was all in, all night! He had a blast. Abra, DJ, and dance motivators did a great job and the Mash-up station was a big hit. Thanks for all your help in pulling everything together for us and making it a fantastic night.”
-Lisa Krim, Presidio Officer’s Club, August 22
“We want to write to thank YOU. We were beyond thrilled with everything you did during (and before) the party! I received innumerable compliments about you and the team. I am not exaggerating when I saw that I honestly think at least 25% or more of my conversations that night were about you! It was one person after another asking me where we found you, and commenting on how incredible you were. Wanting to know about you and your background. People asking me if you would come to the Peninsula. We were elated. But more than anything else, I have not seen Natalie as happy as she was that night since she was a little little girl. All her adolescent anxieties vanished and she looked like she was on top of the world. I mean this with every fiber in me! It was amazing. I was nearly crying just seeing her so confident and in her element, and your power in leading the crowd and making her feel so good were the key to that……So THANK YOU is an understatement.
As for the group as a whole, I can’t believe how you knew exactly what to do with the crowd at every moment. I have had people in their 30s and 40s telling me they have never been to a party as fun. I have had people telling me how incredible it was to see such great things for kids, interactions with kids and yet fun and dancing for adults. I saw my neurologically impaired aunt who normally walks with a cane up and dancing during the cupid shuffle (is that the right name?!) I know there are a million factors that go into a party but there is nothing as important as the music and the mood and the flow and I will never forget this night and I know very well to whom we owe which thanks. (except I don’t know who to thank you for the gorgeous weather and that moon). Everything was amazing. The photo booth was a smash hit. I thought maybe the kids wouldn’t find it novel or interesting but there was a line at all times outside of the booth which never stopped.
I hope you will be available for David – we are expecting he will be in June 2017!!!!”
-Rena Fox, Spinnaker Restaurant, June 14
“You have no idea how much Anastasia, her friends and the rest of us adults enjoyed the party! Anastasia said: “Abra did exactly what we have planned with her and that is what I wanted!” Everyone loved you, asking me who is this “Little woman with a lot of power” 🙂
Thank you [for being so] professional, I didn’t have to worry about a thing…If you need a references we will be happy to talk to anyone.”
-Irina Mirkina, Temple Emanu-El, September 28
“Abra was amazing! What energy! She was incredible with the kids….they were busy, happy, dancing, playing games, and engaged. Nobody wandered off because they were having too much fun. I have never seen a group of 13 year old boys dance all night and with such enthusiasm. Abra checked in with me periodically and kept the evening moving. She let me know before I had to get up and talk, so I could have a moment to collect myself. I really could not be any happier. My guests raved about her. I would request her again in a heartbeat and would be delighted to be a reference for her. Because of her, I really got to be a guest at the party…relaxed, enjoying, and not stressed out at all. ”
-Lori David, Embassy Suites, May 18
“We definitely had a great time and your crew was wonderful. They were all very helpful the entire time and kept the kids entertained, while the adults got to relax, mingle and dance as much as they wanted too. I can’t think of a thing to do differently. It really was amazing and we’ll be calling you as soon as my daughter’s date is set (this time I know who to call and will call early). Hopefully Abra will be available – I told her I would be requesting her already.
Thank you again!”
-Samantha Wechsler, Garre Vineyard & Winery, April 20
“Dear Abra, It’s taken us a little long to thank you for an amazing Bar Mitzvah. Today or family left town and we’ve been going round the clock all week. We would like to thank you for the energy, creativity, professionalism, and great music and dancing at Erik’s Bar Mitzvah. We all had a wonderful time and our guests haven’t stopped commenting (kids and adults) on how fun the evening was. You contributed to the mood of the evening and to its success.”
-Sophie Ross, San Francisco Spirit, January 26
“Thank you so much for Friday night! Tyrone and Abra were fantastic and all of our guests were blown away by the party we hosted. Thank you so much for all the lighting. It made the party so much more special. Not only did I post on your Facebook Page, but I also posted on Yelp. Thanks again and I look forward to working with you again.”
-Michael Amerikaner, Congregation Emanu-El Hall, December 14
“Zevan’s bar mitzvah was the event of a lifetime for us and one we will never forget, and so much of the credit for that goes to you. We knew you were going to be great, but seeing you in action was something else altogether. The way in which the kids – every single one of them, regardless of age or sex – responded to you was a site to see. It was such a pleasure working with you and thank you for making it such a spectacular night for our family.”
-April Solomon, Meadow Club, November 17
“Thank you for providing such a great service! I have been very delinquent in letting you know just how much we appreciated everything that Abra did to make our event picture perfect! She is the ultimate professional. I must have at 20 or 30 comments on how great the DJ was. People were really impressed at how she got everyone (kids and adults) up and dancing. I would look around and there was almost no one in their seats. Even the head of Stanford Faculty Club, Diane Elcand commented that she had been recommending DJs for years and had never seen anyone work so hard. Abra was the bomb!
I was first blown away when she came to the house to meet her and she asked what Danny liked. Poker, soccer and books came up. She seemed to know everything about all three subjects, the first of which was surprising to me (it makes me wonder if she’s been visiting casino sites like kiss918 online). Of course, most people know how to play poker, so maybe she’s just played before somewhere. Online casinos are much more accessible now though, with some even allowing people to pay in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Perhaps people who own Bitcoin would be interested in visiting https://kryptoszene.de/bitcoin-casinos/ to learn more about these casinos. Anyway, she and Danny hit it off right away. She listened to what we wanted and met and exceeded our expectations in every way. The kids at school have been commenting that of all the bar mitzvah’s they have attended, that Danny’s had the best party. Music to our ears for sure. Several people have asked for the name of your company and for Abra in particular. I hope that some more business comes your way.
Thank you for an exceptional job and our best regards to Abra and our most sincere thanks for making the event the best we could ever hope for!”
-Amy Wiess, Stanford Faculty Club, November 12
“Just wanted to let you know how lucky you are to have Abra – she is awesome! She was the MC for our party October 29th and she did an unbelievable job. She was able to get all of the kids engaged and make all of them feel comfortable (including many awkward 13 year-old boys!). She got the non-dancers out on the dance floor and got kids and adults dancing together. She’s also incredibly organized, and everything went off without a hitch. We very much appreciate that she was willing to take the time to come out and teach our kids a couple of dances before the event – that made it SO much better for them. She’s a star!”
-Jeffrey Olgin, Marin Jewish Community Center, October 29
“I wanted to pass on Sophie and Maddy’s comments, especially to Abra.
They thought Abra was amazing. They and their friends loved the games she played with them. Best of all, they said that if they were to do the party over again that they wouldn’t change a thing and that they would definitely want Abra to be there.”
-Mike and Melanie Brent, Temple Isaiah, January 22
“Just wanted to thank you and your team for such a great job. All our guests had a great time at the party and you guys were terrific.”
-Diane Kahn, Servino Restaurant, January 15
“Abra was amazing! She was absolutely perfect for the group, keeping them engaged the entire evening. She even had my husband’s number when she had him lead YMCA – it was hysterical! His comment was “whew that’s a long song. I was running out of moves!”. Truth be told, he has no moves.”
-Robin Moses, Servino Restaurant, November 20
“Hi Abra, wow, how do we thank you for such an incredible evening? You and your team were awesome and our initial photos show just how much fun was had by all! I can’t wait to have you guys at our younger son’s Bar Mitzvah in two years! Again, thank you so much for everything and making the night so memorable! Enjoy the photos!”
-Jennifer Douglas, Granite Bay Golf Club, June 12
“We could not have wished for a more memorable event. Our guests were blown away by the presentation and interaction with the kids. I’ve never seen boys that age dance all night. It was a blast watching the kids. No one wanted the party to end.
Abra is AMAZING!!! I was impressed with her on the phone & meeting her in person was the icing on the cake. She did a phenomenal job as our MC & everyone loved her. Jon, Ari, Ben and Ranjani were fantastic! They were such a great addition to a spectacular event.
Our party ROCKED!! Sara had a beautiful day and we can’t thank you enough for making it happen.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! You’re the best!!
-Jean O’Donnell
and one from a guest…
Sara’s Bat Mitzvah party was THE best party I have EVER been to. (Even better than my daughter’s). Abra was AMAZING from start to finish. First, she dealt so skillfully and competently and compassionately with everything. She handled all the “bumps” in the road effortlessly. She managed to mediate what Sara wanted and what the adults thought was “appropriate”. Her communications were timely and I felt completely confident every step of the way that she was in charge and it would be fabulous. But, I had no idea how fabulous it would be until I saw it. Every single kid was engaged, dancing and having the best time. Sara was soooo happy. The dancers and Abra kept everything moving and exciting and fun. It was the party of Sara’s dreams and the best time of her life. A friend of mine called Sunday to say her daughter was there and told her mom it was the best night of her life. She is an 8th grader! She said all the kids were texting for 2 hours after the party about how fabulous it was. I have never seen boys so engaged dancing and having fun for the whole entire time. Even the adults were dancing. Bravo ABRA!!!!
-Sara’s Bat Mitzvah, Jewish Community Center, January 16