As you probably know by now, the annual Bushwig festival showcases the best upcoming and established talent in drag and performance from New York and around the world. Its seventh annual installment, this past Sunday at Knockdown Center, featured local performers such as Chris of Her, whose mushroom-topped headpiece turned into a suspendered dress after a tumble down the catwalk, and Merrie Cherry, who came out in a wheelchair and hospital gown and was lifted by the power of music to reveal a dress underneath the gown.
Marti Gould Cummings dressed as a zombified, green Harajuku girl and performed to a remix of Rammstein’s “Du Hast,” and Madelyn Hatter stripped two layers of “skin” to reveal bloody muscle underneath, a much different type of performance than the usual drag audience may be used to.
Each performer had their own style and routine, whether it be amusing, inspiring, or just showing off what their body can do (there were some amazing acrobatics, some even done in heels). Throughout the day, everyone showed up with amazing looks, and there was such a positive atmosphere of embracing everyone no matter what they looked like or how they dressed, encouraging everyone to live their truth and be themselves.