A Dancing Penguin Music Reviews

A Dancing Penguin Music

Portland, OR

4.5 out of 5 rating, 30 reviews

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4.5 out of 5 rating

4.5

Very good

30 reviews

Recommended by 90% of couples

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Quality of service
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Average response time
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Professionalism
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Flexibility
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Diane Sent on 08/23/2018

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We could not be happier with our DJ, Kim Ralphs. He played exactly the songs we wanted, when we wanted them. He was punctual, prepared, professional, and talented. We hired him because he was so highly recommended. I would happily hire him again for future events.
Ashlee Sent on 06/17/2018

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Kim was absolutely one of the most professional vendors to work with. He is very talented, and made everything very easy in terms of choosing our songs for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. We loved that he was able to play piano at our venue live, and then switch into DJing for the reception/ dancing. We also had speeches in which he provided the announcing and mics for. My dad even played us a song in which Kim made sure he had all of the right hookups for at the venue as well. I would happily hire Kim again, and his rates were absolutely affordable for a smaller venue like ours, which was around 80 people.
Kathie Sent on 03/12/2017

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Ken is wonderful.. We were very lucky to have gotten him. Worked with us a everything my daughter wanted.
Thank you

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Mark Sent on 10/28/2013

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Professional and great sound system. Did a great job as mc and kept the reception going. Wonderful piano player and ready to play outside if weather permitted. Great job!
Mina Sent on 06/05/2013

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THey rocked the night! Impressed!
Christene Sent on 12/09/2012

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We made a wonderful choice with A Dancing Penguin!! The dinner music (piano) was amazing and he knew just what to play to get people on the dance floor afterwards. Moreover, when we had to change our first dance song at the last minute he worked with us to find a new one. Thank you so much!
User944099 Sent on 09/23/2012

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Great DJ, was right on time, and very very professional! Would use him again for sure!
Anna Sent on 09/20/2012

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Kim from A Dancing Penguin Music did an awesome job! For the father daughter dance we had a big request for him and he pulled through and we were all pleased! After our wedding we had a lot of friends and family say that the DJ did a great job! We were very please with Kim and we would definitely recommend him to other friends and family that need a DJ!
Rebecca Sent on 09/07/2012

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Kim played piano/keyboard for the ceremony, including accompanying our soloist. He was familiar with all the music we requested and did a beautiful job. We appreciated that he played keyboard during dinner and then transitioned to DJ for dancing. He totally listened to the wishes of the Bride & Groom. The dance floor was never empty.
Rita Sent on 12/21/2011

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They were FABULOUS! This was my first wedding and I had no clue on what to do and they helped me every step of the way, they have a great music selection and the piano just topped everything off (that's what sold me :) I would highly recommend A Dancing Penguin...You guys rock!
Lisa Sent on 09/15/2011

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We hired the Dancing Penguin for our ceremony and wedding celebration. They ensured the sound for the ceremony was perfect. Everyone was outside, so they knew just how to setup the sound system nicely. Then we hired the duo to play jazz during cocktail hour and dinner. It was great. They are both very talented. Lastly, Kim DJ'd the rest of the night and played great music, which had everyone dancing the entire time. We truly wanted a DJ, who would play music and do less of the mic approach. Kim quietly played amazing tunes all night and was very professional when making announcements such as the buffet being open. He was awesome and helped make our wedding day memorable! I highly recommend them.
Abigail Sent on 11/08/2010

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We had so much fun on the dance floor!!!! Everyone danced the whole night and the selection of songs were great. Thanks for making my reception so much fun!
Janna Sent on 05/17/2010

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"A Dancing Penguin" was recommended to me by my venue coordinator. Kim was absolutely fabulous from the first steps of planning through the last minutes of the night. Kim was very professional, helpful, and quick to respond to any contact. We planned our Oregon wedding from New York and Kim made the fact that we were all the way across the country a non issue. He sent everything we needed via email and we were able to communicate over email and phone.

When we did get to meet a month before the wedding in Portland, Kim was great. He laid out the things we needed to think about and gave us tons of great ideas for things that we needed help with. We had decided that we wanted to have a family friend sing at the wedding, which presented its own set of challenges, but Kim was a total pro! Our vocalist was in California, us in New York, and Kim in Oregon; however this was no problem for Kim. We sent him the music over email and he coordinated with our vocalist and they practiced on the phone and at the rehearsal. If that wasn't enough to put Kim through, we also asked him to learn a piano piece for the ceremony like two or three weeks before the wedding.

On the day of the ceremony Kim was so great, everything was taken care of and completely stress-free. Everything went flawlessly. Until the reception when Kim calmly came up to me and asked me what song we had picked out for the first dance. We had forgotten to plan our first dance completely!!!! (I know we were a bit scatter brained) Kim was so flexible and professional. He didn't freak out or get upset with me because I had spaced out on planning a big part of the reception, he just calmly asked what song I would like him to play and then moved right along with the night as if nothing had happened. He keep the whole night moving right along, working really well with all of the other vendors and making everything stress-free and wonderfully enjoyable.

The bottom line is that Kim and the Dancing Penguin is the best wedding music move a North-West bride can make. The price is unbeatable, the professionalism and responsiveness is impeccable, the flexibility a god-send, and the quality of service so good that I convinced my sister to use Kim for her wedding this August! Kim is the best across the board. Use A Dancing Penguin and I am sure that you won't be sorry. Thanks a million Kim and we can't wait to see you in August!
Peter Sent on 10/13/2009

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A Dancing Penguin provided excellent service and we didn't skip a beat at our wedding. I was very pleased with there professionalism. There flexibility helped make our reception a memorable experience.

Thank you,

The Bradshaw's
Kristin Sent on 10/07/2009

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Kim from Dancing Penguin Music was great to work with!! He met with my husband and I before choosing him as our DJ and he had many helpful hints, seemed to really know how weddings and receptions flow and was very professional. We had a filled dance floor the entire wedding and it was great! He played music that really made my wedding the celebration I had always wanted. My brother sang and played the guitar for the ceremony and he allowed him to use some of his equipment as well as a mic for our pastor. I would recommend him to anyone!!
Erin Sent on 02/09/2016

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Kim was a pleasure to work with! Excellent pianist, good DJ.
Ali Sent on 10/23/2009

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After the wedding, I got so many complements on my dj choice. The fact he brought a piano, and was able to play during dinner meant so much. After dinner and the dances with parents, he started doing the dj thing.

It was awesome how he went through the decades-starting with classic Big Band, then moving up through the 50's, 60's, and 70s. I appreciated the fact that I was able to tell him what not to play, and he respected it.

He also was helpful in choosing the first group dance song-it was awesome to get everyone up on the floor and see loads of people dancing all through the night.

He is extremely reasonably priced as compared to some other Djs-when you sign up with him, you are getting a fab value for your dollar.

My reception was spectacular all the way around, and it was due to the fab job he did at my wedding.
Becky Sent on 05/02/2019

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Professional music services and DJ all-in-one!

Kim of A Dancing Penguin Music was the perfect fit for our wedding! We really appreciated the elegance and genuine feel of his live music for the ceremony and dinner! The venue had a baby grand piano and it sounded lovely. On top of that he switched gears to take on his role as DJ. Kim has a laid back, professional approach and wasn’t boisterous which is what we were looking for in a DJ and Master of Ceremony. His fee was very reasonable, especially when you consider getting the benefit of a live musician in addition to the DJ services! I highly recommend these folks!!!
Sarah Sent on 09/16/2012

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Did a great job keeping people on the dance floor! Music sounded fantastic - quality equipment. They also played piano during my ceremony and dinner, which was lovely. Definitely recommend them, only thing they could improve on is maintaining more of the current top 20 songs on their playlist, however they will add things you request.
User933924 Sent on 09/07/2012

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Excellent. Thank you so much.
China Sent on 06/11/2009

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Kim from a Dancing Penguin was great. He took care of everything and all I had to do was pick out my favorite music. He was able to locate special songs for me that were not on his list as well. He was very professional and made me feel at ease on my special day. Thanks Kim!
Barbara Sent on 09/20/2012

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Made our day based on what we wanted not what they had. Went out of their way to acquire Hawaiian music to fit my background and never said no.
Emily Sent on 12/28/2011

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If you are looking for a combination of live music and DJ services for your wedding, A Dancing Penguin is the way to go! These guys are professional, knowledgable musicians that provide an exceptional service for the value. We had a live saxophonist and piano during our ceremony and dinner hour and then switched to dance music for our reception. A Dancing Penguin has an extensive song list, and will do their best to find obscure songs if you ask. Best of all, they will only play the music you choose. If you are a couple looking for top-notch musicians to provide a classy atmosphere for your wedding, I would defintely recommend A dancing Penguin Music.
Amy Sent on 09/14/2012

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It was great to have someone who could provide live music and act as the DJ and MC as well. Kim was very flexible and quick to respond to emails. As a piano player, he was fantastic. As a DJ, I wish he would have been a bit more enthusiastic and fun.
Scott Sent on 10/06/2009

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You did an excellent job and were flexable to work with our soloist. Thanks for a great experience. Scott Smith
Kelly Sent on 05/14/2010

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We were generally pretty happy with this company. We initially met with the Dancing Penguin frontman Kim for the consultation, and he later assigned another Penguin to our event (Dave). We never had a private meeting with Dave, so we operated under the assumption that Dave would provide all the same services Kim had discussed with us. This was not so. Dave didn't end up doing any emceeing of the event, so we tried to time everything ourselves and just let us know when we wanted everything announced. I would have preferred if he had helped time the evening for us and help keep the reception flowing so it didn't feel quite so awkward. I feel that most of this was our fault for not speaking explicitly with him about all of this prior to the event. He was a very friendly guy and he kept the music going all night. He took so many requests that he didn't get to much of our playlist, but I think this kept our guests very happy. If you go with this company, I would recommend you make sure you talk with your assigned Penguin PRIVATELY prior to the event.

Great value for the money though. They were half the price of many other DJs we considered, and I think they were probably almost as good.
Jennifer Sent on 10/21/2008

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I felt this DJ service was okay. The actual DJ was switched out at the last minute without notifying me, so I didn't know the DJ who arrived. Not all of my instructions were followed, and the music was so-so.
User940158 Sent on 09/19/2012

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A dancing penguin was just not exactly the experience I had hoped for. The ceremony was great, and than when we got to the reception things just didn't seem to go right. He announced the cake cutting and right from there we went to the other room for our first dance, while everyone was expecting cake. I had asked if we could please wait so that my friends and family could watch the first dance and actually understand what's going on, and I was just told no were doing this now.... Not what I had expected. There were some other experiences as well, but I'm just going to leave it at not the experience I had hoped for not for us but could be for you.
User927202 Sent on 09/08/2012

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When the DJ announced the bride and groom as they entered the reception, he incorrectly used the grooms first name, instead of the last name.
Guy G. Sent on 02/10/2021

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Didn't show up

I hired Kim Ralph's with much anticipation after hearing him play and sitting down with him to curate my song list. Sadly, Kim Ralph's did not show up to my wedding. He sent someone who could barely play piano and the band was simply terrible. I couldn't believe he simply did not show up with no communication. Even worse when I tried to follow up with him so I understand what had happened he never responded. I will never forgive Kim Ralph's for wrecking this important part of my wedding.

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