The Blacklips Performance Cult was an avant-garde

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performance group based in New York City's

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

, at the Pyramid Club. The collective was active from summer 1992 to spring 1995. Blacklips was founded in the summer of 1992 by ANOHNI with Johanna Constantine and Psychotic Eve. In a short time, the group had grown to consist of 13 to 20 downtown artists and performers. Blacklips performance Cult started doing shows in the Crow Bar but soon moved to the Pyramid Club, where it would set up different plays each Monday night. The first play was ''The Scarlet Letter'' by ANOHNI, shown for the first and last time 12 October 1992. The last play was ''13 WAYS TO DIE'', which was shown for the first and last time 13 March 1995. ANOHNI directed two plays "The Birth of Anne Frank" and "Miracle Now" which were performed with many of the Blacklips members at PS122. The troupe quickly became famous in the underground club culture of the

- especially known for its trademark: "Bloodbags and Beauty". In one of the plays, called ''Starvation'', the

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dressed as maggots and threw liver into the audience during a "maggot ballet". It was in the Blacklips Performance Cult that ANOHNI first gained attention for her extraordinary voice. During performances she sang songs including

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, Blue Angel and Hitler in My Heart for the first time. These songs were later published on her first album as part of

Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro label ...

List of troupemembers

* ANOHNI (sometimes credited as Fiona Blue) *Johanna Constantine *Psychotic Eve *Hattie Hathaway *James F. Murphy *Sissy Fit *Lily of the Valley ( Michael Cavadias) *Kabuki Starshine *Page *Flloyd *Lost Forever *Lulu *Pearls *Mouse * Howie Pyro *Clark Render *Ebony Jet *Herr Klunch *Holly Fur

External links

Blacklips archive
Performing groups established in 1992 1992 establishments in New York City Arts organizations disestablished in 1995 1995 disestablishments in New York (state) {{US-theat-stub Defunct Theatre companies in New York City