A Masquerade Ball

I was lucky enough to be invited to my friend’s 21st Birthday this coming Friday, 6th August. Her parents and herself, decided to celebrate her 21st birthday by throwing her a masquerade ball.

Well, a little history about how a masquerade ball started from. The ball was first noted in Italy during the 15th Century. They were public costumed festivals which were held in Venice. Masquerade balls were generally held for members of the upper class society and have been associated with the tradition of the Venetian Carnival. The balls became very common throughout Europe through the 17th and 18th Century.

What makes a masquerade ball so fun and exciting is wearing a mask and trying to identify the person you are dancing with. It is also amazing to see the different types of mask people are wearing. These include the traditional Venetian mask or the half mask or even the phantom of the opera type masks.

However, masks have been used throughout different movies for different proposes other than a for a masquerade ball. One includes wearing a mask to cover up and identity. Like the movie starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray, A Cinderella Story (2004), Sam (portrayed by Hilary Duff) wears a mask to cover up her identity at the school Halloween dance. Austin Ames (portrayed by Chad Michael Murray) however, doesn’t wear a mask, but is suspicious about who is behind the mask as the two characters dance in the court yard. Another situation is the movie the Princess Protection Program (2009) starring Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. In this movie, Carter (portrayed by Selena Gomez) comes up with the idea to make some of the girls that had been bullied in the school to dress up as princesses and to wear masks. This was because the plan was to get General Kane to think that he had entered in a princess masquerade ball. He also assumes that the mask and dress that Carter is wearing is Princess Rosalinda (portrayed by Demi Lovato) and takes her away. So in both movies, A Cinderella Story and The Princess Protection Program, they used masks to hide their identities.

For me, a masquerade ball is one of the most fun, yet exciting and mysterious balls to go to. This is because you do not know who is behind the mask and/ or the person you are dancing with.