Bat Mitzvah DJs in New York City

David was wonderful to work with and we are so happy with how everything went at our daughter’s recent Bat Mitzvah. David listened carefully to exactly what we wanted – we wanted a fun environment, a lively hora, and music that was not too loud – and he provided exactly what we asked for. He was very responsive and always got back to me in a timely manner. I highly recommend David and Expressway Music!

Dave and his team were amazing at my daughter’s recent bat mitzvah. We had some very specific requests for what we wanted and he handled them all beautifully. We met numerous times throughout the planning process to make sure we were all on the page. The party was everything we hoped for and the dj was a big part of that. The Emcee and dancers were fun and great with the kids. It was a fantastic party and I’m so grateful to Dave and his team! Would highly recommend for a bar/bat mitzvah!

We used Expressway Music for my daughter’s bat mitzvah in September 2018 and Dave and his team were the best! I tend to be an anxious person and planning this event wasn’t easy for me. But every conversation in advance of the event left me at ease with my decision to hire Expressway and the day itself was amazing. Most important: my daughter and her friends had a blast. Dave is honest, kind, patient and fun. What more could you want for an event DJ?

Dave DJ’d our daughter’s Bat Mitzvah ten years ago, and we told him then that we’d be back in a decade for our son’s Bar Mitzvah! And we were. And last week he – and terrific DJ Corey – did it again. Just as in 2008, Expressway Music took the time to learn about our family and especially our child, and gave us exactly the party that we were so hoping for: upbeat from the first minute (notwithstanding the gray, rainy day outside); precisely tailored to our son, his friends and our adult guests (all of whom prefer things to be festive while, as the motto says, not too loud or over-the-top); full of games, dancing, laughter and great fun. Once again, Expressway Music helped to make this very meaningful milestone in our lives, that much more joyful. Special thanks to Charissa, who is endlessly patient, instantly responsive, and like Dave and Corey, gave us a wonderful day with memories to last a lifetime…. including Grandma leading the conga line!

Yelp does not provide enough stars to give proper credit to Dave Swirksy and Expressway Music. Five stars doesn’t do it. When I started planning my daughter Julia’s bat mitzvah party over a year ago, I swore that we would not have a DJ. I have had so many miserable experiences as a guest at mitzvah parties (and weddings) where the music was deafeningly loud, so loud that the walls and floor seemed to vibrate and you couldn’t have a conversation with the person standing right next to you unless you literally screamed in their ear. have been to more than one party where I sat there with earplugs, unable to socialize or enjoy myself or even hear myself think. So when Julia expressed a wish to have dancing and games, initially I said no. I said no the second, third, and fourth times she asked as well. Finally, I began to worry that she wouldn’t have fun at her own party and agreed to look into finding a DJ that both kids and adults alike might enjoy. I was skeptical, to say the least. Fast forward to November 18, 2019, when Julia and our guests — kids and adults alike — had the time of their lives thanks to Dave, who was our DJ, and the incomparable Daniel as emcee. Dave has an uncanny ability to read the room, play music that will be fun for all the guests, and meet the host’s goals and take the host’s wishes into account. I honestly wasn’t sure how this was possible, but he did it. It takes enormous talent and sensitivity – not to mention good taste – to accomplish this, and the experience was so amazing that it far surpassed anything I’d expected. The music was at an appropriate volume so that people could dance and enjoy themselves, but also so that people who weren’t necessarily dancing could enjoy themselves as well, whether at the bar, in small groups of people having conversations, etc. Daniel the emcee just charmed the kids with his sense of fun, creative games, whimsical dances, and more. He was so much fun, even adults joined in. (Yes, I tried to limbo!) When both your 13-year-old daughter and your 81-year-old father are raving about the entertainment at your party, you know you found the right talent. From the time I started my initial search for a DJ to the date of the party, Planning a party like a mitzvah or a wedding is a substantial investment financially and an even greater investment emotionally because it celebrates a milestone of enormous personal and cultural significance. My daughter was so proud of what she had accomplished in preparing for her bat mitzvah and could not have found a better way to celebrate than with music and dancing guided by Dave and Daniel. I honestly don’t think I ever saw my child so happy. As a parent, one’s happiness is often determined by the happiness of one’s kids. That was certainly true here, but not entirely, because I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the moment as well and will remember it all for a very long time. I am really grateful to Dave and his colleagues and cannot recommend him highly enough.

DJ Dieter was the DJ for our daughter’s Bat Mitzvah on Oct 20th. The party was great and Dieter did an amazing job. We were so impressed. We met a few times before the party to make plans and I had to laugh, because I couldn’t believe how easy he made it and took so much stress away from the planning. My daughter sent him songs she wanted and he worked with her on themes of quiz questions (e.g., Avengers, etc) for kids. We told Dan the songs we wanted for each of the candles for the candlelighting and, I don’t know how these things work, but it all magically happened exactly the way we wanted. The kids and adults had a great time and I think the music and the loudness were perfect for kids to have fun and grownups to talk. The dancer was great. Everybody had a blast with the photographs and Charissa, in the office at DJ Expressway, was amazing in helping us with the montage. We were delighted as were our guests.

Dear David and Daniel, This email is at least 24 hours overdue, but we were almost as wiped out yesterday as we were when we got home from the party Saturday evening, and this is the first time since Saturday that I feel as though my brain is functioning sufficiently well to send you this email. We are all so incredibly grateful for the job you two, and the motivators did in making the party SO MUCH FUN. We have been inundated with calls and emails since Saturday night telling us how super everything was, and you were signaled out all the time for special mention. Everything you did was right, from the tone Daniel set with the kids and the way you interacted with them, to Jesse’s music and the way he invited guests (including, it seemed, the entire boy contingent) to play with him, to David’s terrific mix of music, with current stuff blended in totally with older favorites. The hora was the right length and in the right spot, the trivia was well done. Mostly, though, thank you for how lovely you were with our daughters. Samantha and Charlotte, who, as I think you figured out, are very different, both enjoyed their time with you and felt incredibly comfortable with you. That’s a pretty significant fact for us. They both had such a good time, as did all of their friends and all of us, and we know that this is in large part due to your work and skill and the simply terrific job you did. We will miss being in touch with you, but Charlotte’s bat mitzvah will be here before we know it!! Thanks again, we really are so grateful.

Dear David and the Whole Team at Expressway Music. Our family was so lucky to have you coordinate all of the entertainment for Lexi’s Bat Mitzvah weekend. You pulled off two very different parties, with a hugely successful Bat Mitzvah luncheon on Saturday in a hotel ballroom and then an all-out fun restaurant dinner celebration on Sunday night. Every moment working with all of you has been pitch-perfect from our very first meeting. Benjamin the magician totally “wowed” the cocktail crowd, so they knew it was going to be an extraordinary night right from moment one. What a doll! Your dancers were extraordinarily professional- they got to know the Bat Mitzvah girl’s friends as well as the adult guests without ever being intrusive. I could write a whole note just complimenting them. Sergio played such great music that I danced with the kids awhile and they were all exclaiming that it was “the best Bat Mitzvah they had ever gone to”. I wish I could go clubbing with him every weekend! Out front with you the karaoke was a blast and my friends and family could not stop laughing, dancing, hugging, talking, taking photos. I know I was really specific about the music and you exceeded every expectation in every single regard. I am so glad that we have a video memory of the event AND photos, seeing it on the plasma screen TVs while it was all happening made it seem like we were at a really fun rock concert! Plus we got to go home with photos from your super-fun photo booth! so even while we wait for our stills, we already have the most hysterical photos- Lexi took so many with her friends and today they are already hanging up in her locker at school! And finally Daniel, was a treasure! He is the best friend that everyone must have at an event, exactly and totally there when you need him and just unobtrusive when you don’t. He has a personality that people just want to be around him and hang out with him, while at the same time he is smoothly moving everything along. The kids were raving about the trivia, all with questions about the Bat Mitzvah girl! He was an absolute delight to work with. I think the trick is that Expressway offers professional, truly nice people and together you are all totally focused on making every second of the party into a really magical time. We are getting non-stop calls and e-mails, everyone agrees it was just the most fabulous two days! Thank you for ensuring that the most important weekend for our family had the absolute greatest memories that we could ever ask for.

Dear Dave, I know that I already thanked you somewhat informally, but I wanted to sit down and write you a more “formal” thought-out thank you note. I just wanted to again thank you and your team for making Hannah’s bat mitzvah such a success. I did not have a big budget for the event, but I knew the dj would be the key, and I had to find the right one. I envisioned a unified party, from the grandparents to the kids. I was looking for someone who kept the party going but also did not blast the music so loud that people who had not seen each other in years would not be able to converse in the same room. I wanted djs who were not stereotypically cheesy, but who would keep the kids entertained. Again, I didn’t expect to have a lot of other entertainment or activities for the kids, so the dj had to hold their attention but not alienate the adults—or better yet, the adults would be motivated to join in. I did not know anyone who had used you, but reading online reviews and viewing your website made me think you’d be the right guys. Now, after the party, I know I made the right decision. I have received so many compliments from people of all ages. People implied that I must have given you a lot of instructions, but I said “not really.” Picking the right professionals is the key. Your entire staff was a pleasure to work with. From Charissa in the office to the dancers, Stevie and Julie, everyone was friendly and professional. You picked songs that ran the gamut, which is what we wanted, and kept things moving in a professional top notch fashion. Also, Daniel’s interaction with the kids hit the right note—he kept things fun, classy, and age-appropriate. I really don’t know how he learned so many kids names! I was very impressed with everything. Most importantly, Hannah had a great time. So, thank you! And please pass our thanks on to others on your staff as well.