Randy Kort is coming back to his hometown to lead Kehilath Israel Synagogue’s 43rd Annual Grand Givers event Nov. 10.
Kort will emcee the event and be its DJ, along with an assistant. He lives in Los Angeles and owns Extravaganza Party Productions.
“Dancing through the Decades” is a fundraiser for K.I., which described it in a news release as “an epic journey through the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.” The event will have music, dance, multimedia presentations, contests, prizes and food.
“This is going to be a fantastic evening,” Grand Givers Co-Chair Dr. Michael Sokol said in the release. “There will truly be something for everyone. People who like to dance will have the opportunity. If you’re nostalgic for the ’60s, ’70s or ’80s, you’ll love it. And if you weren’t around yet during those times, you should come to see what you missed.”
Kort was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Overland Park. He attended Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy from kindergarten through sixth grade before transferring to public schools in the Shawnee Mission School District. After graduating from Shawnee Mission South High School, he attended the University of Kansas and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. He grew up as a member of Congregation Beth Shalom and became a Bar Mitzvah and was confirmed there.
This will be his first time as emcee or DJ for K.I.’s Grand Givers, Kort said. The opportunity arose when he was in Kansas City recently for the 50th anniversary of Lloyd Stahl’s Bar Mitzvah. Some K.I. board members expressed interest in having him host Grand Givers, so he pitched them a couple of ideas and they liked “Dancing through the Decades.”
“They wanted to see if there was something I could do,” he said. “It’s stepping out from what Grand Givers has done in the past.”
Kort has traveled the world in his work. He has worked in Monte Carlo, Spain, France, England, the Bahamas, Mexico and probably 30 states in U.S., he said. And he has opened for “a lot of amazing celebrities and bands,” including Journey, Styx, Michael Bolton, Michael McDonald, Sheryl Crow, Rod Stewart, KC and the Sunshine Band and the Beach Boys.
At age 21, he decided to move to Los Angeles. At the same time his friend and former classmate, Jewish actor Paul Rudd, was moving there, so the pair traveled there together.
Kort still has a lot of family in the area, including his parents, Arnold and Joan Kort; his cousin, Jay Lewis, and his wife, Kimberly Lewis; and his great-uncle, Frank Loeffler, and his wife, Phyllis Loeffler. His late aunt, Hillary Lewis, was a well-known and beloved Jewish educator in the city for many years.
Kort is 51. He started working as a DJ at age 18. He worked in radio, on cruise ships and in other venues. He started Extravaganza Party Productions in 1994. He was once named as Entertainer of the Year at the National American Disc Jockey Awards.
He has worked at a lot of weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and other events over the years.
“It’s a great job,” he said. “It’s the best job in the world. I get to be involved in everybody’s most important day of their lives. Everyone’s in a good mood and happy to be there.”