DJ Jenny, at the musical controls, has a loyal following among young local Russians or her dance parties.
What To Do?
Coining of age,. Feterovich and her peers — who had
come to America as teens and spoke English well —
now were working as business owners and profession-
als. They often complained to each other that "there
was nothing going on for young Russians" in the way
of socializing, she said.
Feterovich, formerly in advertising, now is employed
at Russian-owned JVG Modernizing Inc. in West
Bloomfield. But music always called to her. She
attended a party where the entertainment "didn't seem
professional" and decided she could do better.
A Jewish American friend showed her how to be a
disc jockey. Then she took the plunge of arranging a
party. As "DJ Jenny La Femme," she rented Temple
Emanu-El in Oak Park in 1999 for what she now calls
the "Matzo Ball." It was held on Christmas Eve — "a
lonely time for us Jewish people" — to great acclaim.
Her fourth annual Matzo Ball, typically drawing
300-400 patrons, will be held this Dec. 24 at a site to
Russian Music
where Russians can listen to Russian music, dance,
relax, drink and enjoy each other's company. Around
midnight, everyone starts pouring in."
Nevelev, like other Russian Jews at Club Heat, looks
forward to attending DJ Jenny's Halloween party on
Oct. 25, wondering how she could possibly top last
year's event.
He said the 2002 New Year's party at Parthenon
House in West Bloomfield included a funny play
about the old man, Ded Moroz, and the young girl,
Snegurochka — Russian characters symbolizing the
old and new years.
Feterovich and her deejay friends, KGBEATS of
Chicago, collaborate occasionally in each other's cities,
and they will travel to entertain Russians at nightclubs
in New York, Philadelphia and elsewhere. She has
brought in Helen, Misa and Rita, three Chicago girls of
Russian descent, to do body painting at parties.
Feterovich's friend Dmitry Nevelev of West Bloomfield
said DJ Jenny's parties are "one of the only places
PARTY LOYALISTS on page 67
be announced. Each year, Feterovich creates a promo-
tional poster that shows a "cute Matzo Ball character
dressed in different ways." She's also designed the Web
site wwvv.djlafeinme.com with details on her upcom-
ing events and photos from past parties.
DJ Freddy (Lukoff) of Oxford shares the duties
when DJ Jenny puts on a party, usually every other
weekend. A typical turnout is 250-300. At Club Heat,
her frequent venue, "they're 80 percent Russian-Jewish
and other Eastern European people," Feterovich esti-
mated.
On other nights, she presides over a somewhat older
dancing crowd at the Fiddler and La Fendi, two
restaurants in West Bloomfield.
"I love to make people dance," she said. "This gives
them somewhere to go in a nice environment."
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