A critical part of an evening event is shifting the mood from dinner to dancing. This shift is often not as simple as it may sound and takes a lot more than just clearing the plates and moving around a few chairs.
Have the DJ ready to pump up the music, but it is also important to consider the other atmospheric qualities of the room. The lighting of the room and the utilization of any production items that the DJ or venue supplies is a very effective way to get the room ready for dancing. These production items may include ambient lighting or even LED up-lighting which can change the feel of a room with a touch of a button. It is essential to be conscious of a venue’s in-house lighting system as you would ideally like the light switch to be on a dimmer. A dimmer switch allows you to achieve the exact mood you desire, and dims the room when you are ready to start dancing the night away.
Once the mood of the room is set, you need to energize the crowd. You might consider bringing in live musicians to kick off the dancing portion of the evening. This might include an electric violinist, a bongo player, drummer, horn player or perhaps a combination of these instruments. This is only effective if your musicians are comfortable performing over the DJ’s music, so know who you are hiring. You also need to ensure any live musicians have the necessary production items (wireless microphone, monitors, etc.) so that their sound is amplified and complements the DJ’s sound levels.
Another option to get everyone on their feet is looking into live performers. Some common options may include street dancers, samba performers, burlesque showgirls and even Bollywood dancers. I encourage clients to have the performers stay for 20 minutes following their routine to interact with the guests, take pictures and most importantly help get the party started by encouraging guests to join them on the dance floor.
The shift from dinner to dancing is a huge part to the evening, so make sure you don’t over look this transition. Change up the lighting and overall visual appearance of the room so that the two segments of the event have completely different atmospheres. The DJ isn’t your only option, so consider live performers to interact with the crowd to get everyone energized and more importantly on the dance floor. The right entertainment and production company can also make for a stress-free and flawless evening. After that, your guests will all be on the dance floor and all that’s left to do is have fun.
