Growing up in a time when people would walk around bars with rulers and flashlights to ensure men weren’t dancing too closely, Bruce Sutka knows how pushing boundaries can liven a party –– both artistically and socially.
“When they passed the law in West Palm Beach that same-sex members could dance together, I was the first person on the dance floor that night,” Sutka said. “I just felt somebody's got to get out here first and break the ice.”
He brings that same mentality to Sutka Visual Design, a company he founded about 30 years ago. Sutka has been behind some of the most exciting and visually-dazzling events in Palm Beach, including the annual Stonewall Ball, as well as larger events for companies like Maybelline earlier in his career.
In an era when “outrage is everywhere,” Sutka has had to evolve his skills and stay one step ahead of the times. But how do you top animal ice sculptures, masquerade balls and a man dancing on top of the Kennedys’ table in a G-string at a New Year’s Eve party?
Get them outside of their comfort zone, Sutka said.
“With the gay crowd in Palm Beach, I always thought, ‘We deserve more than what they're doing.’ And so I created these incredible parties … where literally thousands of people were on the dance floor. It's always been that outrage that I love, to allow people to experience things for a couple hours that they've never dreamt to do.”
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