By- DeoVonte “Deo” Means

The Venetians introduced the world to masquerade balls and the Parisian renaissance made it vogue. What most don’t realize is that these were nothing more than fashionable sex parties. The bourgeois and elite would don mask to conceal their identity and partake in a hedonistic, bacchanalian night of sex drugs and rock& roll. Men would be outfitted in embroidered doublets that were ostentatiously magnificent, while the affluent women would enter in bejeweled caps and Ermine trimmed trousseaus. This was the era of King Francois I and the house of Valois. The affluent of France turned out and the Dauphin (future King of France) had a well-positioned seat in the midst of it all to see the women expose their breast as the fine wine began to take its effect. This exact ambiance was manifested on Saturday night as David Dodd hosted his Masquerade Ball themed event. The elite of the city descended in the most exquisite mask and partied into the early morning with no issues. I enjoy these events because it allows an opportunity for the upward mobility of the city to come together. Often our community is triangulated due to optics and parameters that are beyond our ability to embrace. The upwardly mobile tend to get the shorter end of the stick. But on this night we reigned supreme and illustrated that there is indeed great men of standard in the city. Job well done David!…..Cheers….Deo