San Diego Quinceanera – Vanessa

Client:	Sandra (Vanessa’s mother)
Venue:	Church of Saint Luke
Venue Address:	1980 Hillsdale Rd El Cajon, CA 92019
Services Provided:	Quinceanera DJ, Basic Dancefloor Lighting, Uplighting
Cake:	Eccentric International Chefs
Photography:	Beyond Expressions / Leymi Photography
Videography:	Beyond Expressions / Leymi Photography
Dance Group:	Academy of Egyptian Dance
Choreographer:	Priscilla Mondragon
Caterer:	Gourmet Rotisserie Catering and Events

Sandra, Vanessa and I met in September of 2011 to discuss her daughter Vanessa’s Quinceanera. I do not speak fluent Spanish, but I do have knowledge of the events of a Quinceanera or Spanish-style wedding and I’m often contracted for Latin events when Spanish is not necessary. Sandra and Vanessa insisted that my lack of fluency in Spanish was not an issue, and they were very interested in hiring me for my style and ability to read a dance floor and keep people dancing. We discussed more ideas they had for their event and had a great meeting. Within a few days, they had booked and we were set for an amazing birthday party!

Quinceanera Reception

Vanessa celebrated her Quinceanera reception at the Church of Saint Luke in their reception hall. The theme for her party was “Arabian Nights”. To complement this theme, I supplied 12 uplights, matched to her two accent colors– a light blue and a gold shade.

Appetizer Music:	Jazz remixed hip-hop
Court Entrance:	Marcha Triunfal de Aida
Quinceanera and Chambelan De Honor Entrance:	Balada Para Adelina
Presentation of the Last Doll:	A Whole New World
Father’s Waltz:	Phil Collins – You’ll Be In My Heart
Dinner Music:	Assorted
Quinceanera’s Waltz:	Chayanne – Tiempo de Valz
Surprise Dance by The Court:	Rock Around the Clock Shake Your Groove Thing Beat It Ojos Asi
Cake Cutting:	(supplied by choreographer)
Last Dance:	Sister Sledge – We Are Family

Some photos of the uplights:

The Introduction of the Court of Honor

Once appetizer hour was over, we seated the guests and began the Introduction of the Court of Honor. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of this because I was too busy doing the announcements as well as concentrating on pronouncing the names of the Chamberlains and Damas correctly!

The Presentation of the Quinceanera

After the introduction of the Court, I introduced the Quinceanera. She entered onto the dance floor with her escort, the Chamberlain de Honor.

After her introduction, Vanessa began her waltz (hopefully photos coming soon).

Dinner Show

After the waltz, dinner was served. During the first half of dinner, the Academy of Egyptian Dance performed.

One of my favorite moments of the night occurred during this portion. Sandra got out on the dance floor and started belly dancing with the performers!

And then Vanessa joined her mom and the dancers on the floor as well!

Quinceanera Toast (Brindis)

Once the dinner show and dinner were over, I announced the brindis (toast) and handed the mic to Vanessa’s father, Jose.

Father Daughter Waltz

After the toast, we began the Father Daughter Waltz. And, I demonstrated my lack of photography skills rather well.

Quinceanera Open Dance

After the Father Daughter Waltz we opened the dance floor with some spanish favorites, such as No Bailes De Caballito, Baila Esta Cumbia, and Sergio El Bailador.

Quinceanera Cake Cutting

Once the father daughter waltz was over, Vanessa made her way to the cake table and we began the cake cutting.

…with a playful father…

Quinceanera Video Montage

To keep the guests entertained while they were served and ate their cake, we played a video montage using my 3500 lumens projector. Since we had a perfectly smooth white wall my client requested that I project directly onto the wall. It worked well.

Surprise Dance by the Court of Honor

After the cake cutting, the Court of Honor performed a surprise dance for the guests. The music was a medley of ageless hits, such as Elvis, Michael Jackson, etc.