Il Ballo del Doge
Il Ballo del Doge (The Doge’s Ball) is the most elegant and exclusive Venetian masquerade ball, one of the many events held annually during the Carnival of Venice. The ball itself is held in the 15th Century Venetian palace of Palazzo Pisani Moretta, situated on the Grand Canal in Venice. The ball's name derives from the title of the elected heads (Doge, Duke in English) who ruled Venice up until the fall of the Venetian republic in the 18th Century. Every year the ball is attended by around four hundred guests dressed in period costume and masked.
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[edit] History
Created in 1994 by Antonia Sautter, Il Ballo del Doge has become a world famous masquerade ball, defined by Vanity Fair as "one of the most exclusive parties in the world."[1] Guests have included members of European, Middle Eastern and Asian royal families, leaders in international business and finance, celebrities and the glitterati. Each year the ball follows a different theme, the most recent being:
- 2006 Meraviglie d'Oriente (The Marvels of the Orient)
- 2007 Meraviglie del Mare (The Marvels of the Sea)
- 2008 Il Giardino delle Delizie (The Garden of Delights)
- 2009 Golden Passion
- 2010 Seven Dreams 7 Seven Sins
Il Ballo del Doge 2011 is entitled "...Because Life is Magic" and will be held on Saturday 5th March 2011 in Palazzo Pisani Moretta.
[edit] Entertainment
The ball is essentially a reconstruction of an 18th Century masquerade ball and includes a meal of Venetian cuisine. Over the years the entertainment has included performances by opera singers, musicians, burlesque artists and characters from the Commedia dell'Arte.
[edit] Management
Antonia Sautter, Italian period costume designer based in Venice, Italy, is the creator and organizer of this event.
[edit] Press
Il Ballo del Doge has been covered by the international press for many years. TV programmes, newspapers and magazines from Italy, the US[2][3][4], the UK[5], Russia[6], Spain, France[7] have all devoted space for this event.
[edit] References and notes
- ^ Vanity Fair no. 11 of 11 March 2004 p. 65 "Il Ballo del Doge è una delle feste più esclusive del mondo... Spegnete il telefonino, respirate i profumi e socchiudete gli ochi, abbandonatevi alla notte più bella della vostra vita."
- ^ Herald Tribune on Tuesday, February 12, 2002, Italian Living
- ^ Life Magazine February 1997
- ^ National Geographic January-February 1999, p 84-85
- ^ Sunday Times Magazine on 11 July 1999 p.40
- ^ Rich Style, Spring issue 2009 p.98-99
- ^ Gala, 24 February 2004
