Our current reigning Miss Subways is a true icon of NYC burlesque whose major showcase returns to Coney Island this weekend: Abby Fantastic!
Thotyssey: Hi Abby, thanks for chatting today! I hope you’re enjoying your summer!
Abby Fantastic: Hi! My summer has been wonderful so far. June was an epic run for us who happen to be Black, Queer and Native NYers, lol.
That’s a fact! You didn’t happen to be at Knockdown Center with Madonna last night, were you? Looked like some fun yet crazy business.
Unfortunately no, it looked so good! I was regulated to FOMO last night, but for the best reason: spending some rare, uninterrupted chill time with my kids.
Beautiful! It must make for an interesting routine to balance nightlife and family life.
It’s so funny, because I really got my stride in nightlife as I realized I was pregnant for the first back in 2012. The balance is always precarious, and sometimes there’s guilt… and difficult choices to make. But I think I’m a better mom for choosing to keep true to this part of myself.
Congrats on recently being crowned Miss Subways! What was that whole experience like, which train line were you repping, and are you displaying the crown and sash somewhere at home?
Thank you! I represented the A train because my great-grandmother was born in Harlem and I was born in Far Rockaway; it felt meant to be. It was just fun to be there. There was so much talent, and it was all different and special to each performer. I didn’t expect to win, though. I was definitely thinking about what I wanted to eat for dinner when they announced my name!
I do take my crown out for a spin here and there thanks to events with [pageant orchestrator] City Reliquary. But when it rests at home, my 11 year old daughter insists it sits in her room in her dollhouse.
I love that! Can you tell us where you’re originally from, and what sort of art / performance you grew up with that may have put you on this path?
I grew up in Far Rockaway, and also Queens Village. The story is that as a toddler I’d enter rooms dancing, so my great-grandmother and my mom put me in dance at four. So the arts have been in my life forever; I went to a performing arts high school in the city and got my BFA in Theatre eventually. I did a lot acting, auditioning and comedy before I witnessed my best friend Angelique A’Lamode perform and I was like, “burlesque is where I gotta be!”
How might you describe your burlesque today, as far the performances you like to serve and your overall aesthetic?
I used a lot of my early performances to kinda work through what it meant to be sexy as a Black, plus size woman and a mother. I never had a glamorous life, and I didn’t believe that I needed to fuck the audience straight in the heart, lol. I think that I alternate between serving up “sexy slice of life” or “joyous sexual energy.” You’ll rarely catch me brooding or smoldering on stage.
We need more of that energy! Body positivity and overcoming insecurity are key elements for all burlesque performers. Was it easy for you to get to that place, did it take a lot of work, or is it still something you have to think about?
I would say that I have an amazing foundation. I had a mother who spoke positivity over me (and continues to). And even still, it’s a thing that ebbs and flows–especially now with the prevalence of GLP-1s as the “magic cure” for being fat–but even still before that. It takes work to love yourself, and it takes work to learn how to filter out the harm in all the stimuli and information you take in on a day to day basis. I have to be like “is this conclusion I’ve formed about myself true? Or would 13 years of performing say differently?”
That brings us to Bounce House, a plus size burlesque showcase you created with Lillian Bustle that returns to Coney Island USA on Saturday! Bounce House has had some prestigious moments over the years, including a show at Lincoln Center! What prompted the creation of this showcase, and what can folks expect this weekend?
Our baby Bounce House! Lillian and I started performing around the same time. We graduated from different classes in the New York School of Burlesque, but we ended up at a student showcase on the same night and instantly hit it off.
What we quickly discovered was that we’d never be in another show together, ever again. Tokenization is the cast diversity killer, lol. We said that one day we would create a show to showcase all three plus bodies that we loved, that we never got to work with. It was selfish, lol, but it was also needed. I’m so proud of the inclusive space we’ve created. We’ve had so many people tell us they felt seen or inspired to take that journey to love themselves fearlessly.
Saturday we return to Coney Island for our fourth year at Burlesque at the Beach! We’re so excited, we’ve actually got a bigger cast this year! You can of course expect Lillian and I cutting up on the mic as your hosts, we’ve got two out of town guests, and we’ve curated a diverse night of fat joy and expansive energy. So we hope everyone is ready to be DTF (Down To Fat!)
What else is coming up for you?
Bounce House has some big things coming up in the fall, so definitely stayed tuned to our IG.
Great! Okay finally: what might your best advice be for a baby newbie who wants to give burlesque a shot?
Wow, this is a big one, lol! I would say burlesque is an industry that is also a great place to find community–take time to know the difference between the two. And if you have the opportunity to learn from burly elders or more experienced performers, don’t turn that opportunity down. Embracing lessons from the past is one big way to keep this art form alive and leveling up! And lastly, never count out what you can contribute to the stage. Step up with your head up.
Well said! Thanks, Abby!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Abby Fantastic’s upcoming appearances, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
Thotyssey 