Show me how you burlesque

Participants dance in Bull Street Saturday during the FCPC Stonewall Anniversary Block Party.
Participants dance in Bull Street Saturday during the FCPC Stonewall Anniversary Block Party.

For years, I tried to run away from the person I really am and denied the feelings I’ve always, since I can remember, felt.

In doing so, I hurt others around me, but most of all, I hurt myself. I feel united with other people like me during this month, and I’m told my experience isn’t unique. Some might loath that, but I find solace in it, as what I went through, I didn’t go through alone. And as I grow, we’ll grow together.

Nazir Carr-McNair
Nazir Carr-McNair

Pride Month, to me, is an intangible manifestation that tells a part of me I mean something. It’s an affirmation, a confirmation, that I not only exist but should celebrate my existence. It tells me that even though some people may not like me for something I can’t change, I should still be proud of who I am.

- Nazir Carr-McNair, Deep Center

Pulse of the 912

The attitude, the glitz, the glamour. It's what Corbin Monoxide, a Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue performer, loves about the art of burlesque. I chat with Corbin about his journey from dancing in his room to on stage, the renaissance of male burlesque and Savannah as a hub for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Laura Nwogu: You debuted with The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue in 2018. What about the art of burlesque performance drew you to it?

Corbin Monoxide: “Anytime I go to a burlesque show, there's this air of confidence that I've always wanted to just see and get life in. Truthfully, I've always spent a lot of my time just dancing alone in my room. The attitude and the glamour of the stage just really drew me in. It started out just as a beauty pageant thing and then it grew into a whole persona.”

Corbin Monoxide with The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue.
Corbin Monoxide with The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue.

LN: Can you tell me more about that journey from beauty pageants to Sweet Tease?

CM: “When The Sweet Tease was first a thing, they had this male beauty pageant called Mr. Savannah, and I just thought that that was really interesting. I thought that I would make it pretty far, maybe even win it. I was first runner-up, but I still wanted to continue performing with the Sweet Tease. So, I want to say like a month after the pageant, they invited me to do a Southeastern tour where they just go on the road and go to different venues to perform; I was their stagehand. Ever since then, I've just wanted to grow the character of Corbin and be a performer. I just love the attitude, the glitz, the glamour. The entire idea of just being a performer and like being in the burlesque world really enamored me.”

LN: And what goes into a burlesque show that most people wouldn't know about?

CM: “So the thing about burlesque is you don't really just go on stage and do it. You do have to work on your costume, have to work on the style of dance that you're bringing to the stage and rehearse a lot. Before I went on tour, they were having practice after practice. Usually, it starts about four weeks as a minimum, but lately, I've been practicing three weeks as a minimum.

Corbin Monoxide with The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue.
Corbin Monoxide with The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue.

“Sometimes you have to modify or build your costume by hand. There are a lot of stage cues and music cues that you have to practice before you go on stage. And then on top of that, just knowing your cast members and what they need sometimes. You need help getting into a costume or you need help fixing a costume, your cast members could help you with that alongside just you performing. So usually, people just think burlesque is like you just go on stage and do it, but it actually takes a lot of preparation, a lot of careful placement of certain things, prop management, etc.”

LN: What does burlesque mean to you? 

CM: “I think, to me, burlesque is the art of variety and also just the art of being a bigger version of yourself. Because the way that I see it is like, yeah, Corbin is his own character, but he's also a bigger representation of myself and an extension of the confidence that I already have.

“Burlesque is about not only just entertaining the people but also entertaining yourself and getting to know yourself better. Growing as a person, not just for an audience, but also just for your inner self.”

LN: Traditional burlesque shows were dominated by women, but now we have this renaissance of male burlesque or boylesque, a term I actually just came across when I reached out to you. Is there a different aspect to male burlesque when it comes to performance?

CM: “Definitely. When anyone thinks of male burlesque, they think of ‘Magic Mike’ or some type of really hyper-masculine, hypersexual type performance, art style. But in my four to five years of doing burlesque, I've seen so many different facets of it that aren't just like a sexy man. I've seen men of different body types doing burlesque and also just different styles. I've seen really chaotic, silly, over-the-top male performances and I've also seen very somber, surreal, glamorous burlesque performances.

Corbin Monoxide with The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue.
Corbin Monoxide with The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue.

“I try to dip my toes in every single facet because, aside from burlesque being kind of glamorous, a lot of people don't really expect to see men or male-presenting people in the field, so it's kind of just like you don't really know how the crowd will react to you, but you know the crowd will react. I think that also just goes into how Burlesque is like, you never really know how the crowd will perceive you. You just go into it and bring your best and get a reaction out of the crowd.”

LN: Burlesque shows, and I will say also anything under that umbrella including drag shows, are popular in Savannah. What do you think spaces like this and their visibility, especially in the South, mean for the queer community in Savannah?

CM: “Not only is it just an exhibition to show what type of queer talent there is but also a celebration of queerness in general. In the South, I feel like this type of visibility is important, especially because people don't really assume that there is much of a scene in the South. People just assume that it's mostly a heteronormative city or a heteronormative space for entertainment, but no.

“There's a variety and then also different facets of that variety, too. In spaces such as this, you get to see the entire spectrum of the LGBTQIA demographic because you get to see trans people, you get to see nonbinary people and people of all gender identities and expressions doing this, and I think Burlesque is also a celebration of those identities alongside a celebration of the South.”

LN: Do you have a favorite show you've done or a favorite costume you've worn?

CM: “I have a few. The video games tour that we did before the pandemic happened where I created a giant Kirby costume. Kirby is my favorite video game character, ao anytime I am invited to a variety cabaret, or just an open theme burlesque show, I usually consider Kirby or like some type of cowboy look.”

Corbin Monoxide with The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue.
Corbin Monoxide with The Savannah Sweet Tease Burlesque Revue.

LN: (laughs) That sounds amazing. And final question: Why do you love the 912?

CM: “I love Savannah because it does have this hostess city feel to it, but also it's kind of weird in a fun type of way. I found a lot of friends in the weirdest spaces, and we still maintain these really great friendships. It's a beautiful city. There's a lot to look at, but also, when the sun goes down, it gets very fun too. And I like that there's that duality in a city.”

This interview was edited for length and clarity. 

Art of The 912

Artist Gabe Torres
Artist Gabe Torres

The 912 newsletter will highlight a local Black artist every two months as the header image for the weekly issue. This month's artist is Gabe Torres.

Follow Torres on her website and Instagram:

Website: gabrielleelizabethtorres.com

Instagram: @get.arttorres

Stories of The 912

1: Fireworks, family, food and fun: Where to celebrate July 4th in Chatham, Bryan and Effingham

Celebrating our nation's 246th birthday begins Friday, but there are a bevy of activities for the whole family from Springfield to Tybee Island all weekend long. Whether you're from the Hostess City or are just passing through for the weekend, come out and enjoy the party — red, white and blue attire recommended.

2: Shrinking abortion access in a post-Roe society will harm the most marginalized in Georgia

Black women in Georgia make up the majority of abortion seekers at 65%, compared to 38% nationwide. Coupled with Georgia’s staggering maternal mortality rate, cutting access to abortion could present a crisis for Black women, said ACLU Georgia Director Andrea Young.

3: Three minutes: Why did a traffic stop end with a deadly Savannah police shooting?

The Savannah Morning News obtained police reports from the Savannah Police Department detailing what happened that night and viewed 100 segments of police body cam footage to piece together why a traffic stop didn’t end simply with a ticket.

4: Man shot, killed in fifth police shooting in Savannah this year

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called early Friday to investigate a police-involved shooting at the intersection of Gwinnett and Magazine streets in West Savannah.

5: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to make history as Supreme Court's first Black woman justice

Ketanji Brown Jackson, a former public defender and Miami native who rose to become a judge on a powerful federal appeals court, will make history Thursday when she is sworn in as the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: The 912: Show me how you burlesque