Embittered Swish began as an artist conversation between performance maker Mick Klepner Roe and writer Cinnamon Templeton, responding to Jean Genet’s 1943 novel Our Lady of the Flowers. Working with actor Kai Bradley, the trio started making short works in late 2015 in response to the text, understanding it as a book about trans people, but also a trans narrative/form, their work as ‘trans’. Following performances at Transgenre 2016, For Fanny’s Sake, Short and Loud, and a residency at Performance Space, the group came to comprise Krishna Istha, Mossy Pebbles, Bobuq Sayed, and Romy Seven, as well as Mick and Cinnamon. Their stage show Our Lady of the Flowers debuted at La Mama Courthouse in October 2016, selling out its entire four-night season. Embittered Swish continues to develop a collective practice, recently performing at the Archer issue 7 launch, and now presenting a refraction of their stage show at Firstdraft. Throughout, Embittered Swish has tended towards a non-narrative performance style that allows for the multiplicity of their cultural backgrounds, gender expressions and artistic practices to be expressed. Combining poetry, music, and dance, Embittered Swish has the capacity to both haunt and arouse audiences.
