"The Cult of the Cupcake"

I visited my cousin Emily in the Big Apple last weekend, & she insisted (as though I needed it) upon taking me to the legendary Magnolia Bakery in the West Village. I indulged in a lovely vanilla cupcake with green icing & a pink sugar flower while we sat in the little park across the street. A jubilant-looking 40-something with concave cleavage approached to inform us of an impending performance in said park: "Unison Fetish," featuring the Cupcake Cadet Corps, which celebrated "the Cult of the Cupcake," whatever that may be.

A few minutes later, five girls & one guy pranced down Bleeker in shiny, sequined pink dresses & black dance shoes, singing about the joy of Magnolia & other various sorts of cupcake worship while double-fisting two of the bakery's own dessert delights. The cadets danced for about three songs, at one point smashing their cupcakes in their faces -- one girl got icing stuck up her nose but was so committed to her, um, art that she didn't even break unison formation to wipe it away. Now that's dedication.