Il Ballo del Doge was born in Venice in 1994 from my love for the Venetian splendour and my personal search for beauty. The idea took shape when, that year, after a series of unexpected circumstances, I found myself working with Terry Jones, the famous member of Monty Python, in a BBC documentary about the Crusades. From that moment on, Il Ballo del Doge takes place every year in Venice during the Carnival in the iconic palace Palazzo Pisani Moretta, on the Canal Grande. Every edition of the Ball has a different theme that is inspired by my childlike dreams.
The Press, the Media and the Guests that have followed throughout the years defined it as the most sumptuous, refined and exclusive masquerade ball in the world, and one of the ten things everyone should do at least once in their lifetime. Throughout the years, I have acknowledged that Il Ballo del Doge has turned into an extraordinary production that goes beyond the simple party and has become a true international event, celebrated by VIPs, celebrities and by all the hunters of dreams, thanks to the positive consensus gained after every edition.
The Guests, wearing the costumes they choose in my atelier, which treasures over 1.200 creations which I have designed and completely made by hand in the years, reach the palace by water, thus immediately immerging themselves in a fantastic world made of luxurious decorations, hand-made and hand-painted set-up props created expressly for each edition’s theme, seamless artistic spectacles with over a hundred performers, refined dishes and drinks, music, dances and itinerary entertainment until late in the night. 2018 will be a year of important goals for me, since Il Ballo del Doge will celebrate its 25th edition, five radiant “lustra” that almost magically accompanied the years of my life. Frenetic, but equally gratifying, they were lived with the enthusiasm and wonder that life gifts us with when we follow our passions without stopping in the face of difficulties.
Destiny also made me an unforeseen present, teaching me that nothing happens without reason. The weekend of theXXV° edition of Il Ballo del Doge, Saturday the 10th of February, will coincide with my birthday. The bond shared by these two events, which will happen at the same timebrings forward a new and inevitable challenge for me, a new story to tell and to make the Guests live: “Rebirth & Celebration” is the title I chose for this new edition. The theme’s quintessence – the constant renewal of rebirth and the celebration of emotions, creativity and passion. Nature, Time, Pleasure. These are the themes dear to me,which I wish to represent as the event’s soul. The wise breath of Mother Nature, generous with us despite the threats of so-called modernity; a spur to be reborn, hugging our true I with lightness. A reflection upon the flow of Time, the luxury of Time that allows us to dream, create and love beauty and freedom. The great engine which animates the world, the Pleasure, which reminds us how much the instinct helps us live the adventure of life through all of the senses.
Antonia Sautter
