Holding Court: A Reigning Queen on Black Burlesque
Jessabelle Thunder in a quick fire Q&A to mark Black History Month 2026.
It’s been a monumental year for Jessabelle Thunder. Already renowned for her good sense, proactivity and vision - not to mention world class stagecraft - she was crowned Miss Exotic World 2025 and was voted Burlesque TOP 50 No.1 by thousands of peers and burlesque fans all over the world.
I managed to grab her for a quick fire Q&A to mark Black History Month 2026.
Black Burlesque is… sensual, joyous, celebratory, political, groundbreaking, boundary-pushing and empowering.
When a Black Queen is crowned… we all celebrate ‘cause it feels like we’re all seen and it’s a win for the Black community.
Being Black in the burlesque scene means… you will experience rejection on another level. You will wonder if your Blackness prevents you from getting a seat at the table, BUT you will learn to take up more space, create your own tables and let that fuel your artistry. Black burlesque is a chance to shine for the Black community at large and show others that we don’t have shrink or minimise ourselves.
My Black burlesque heroes are… all the Black performers I got to see perform in person when I was starting out. The ones who told me through their work that there was a space for me, that despite the outside world noise I could make myself big, and that I - a Black woman - was the blueprint. Performers like Sydni Deveraux, Perle Noire, Alotta Boutee, Chicava Honeychild and Essence Revealed, to name a few. I had no idea Black burlesque existed as much until I saw these performers shining on stage. Also, of course, the legends who started doing Burlesque before any of us currently. They knocked down doors so we could walk through.
To Black performers starting out, I say… keeping creating and taking up space regardless of any rejections you may experience. Find and create the spaces and people who embrace you and your artistry.
I want white producers to know… in the words of Sadie Sinner: having one Black performer in your show doesn’t equal diversity.
The burlesque the world needs right now… has more mainstream recognition, not Drag Race level but just a bit of that. When more people see what we do, respect it and feel excited about it, they come to shows. When audiences fill seats, we get to keep doing what we do. Aside from that, the burlesque world could use more queer, women and non binary run venues and productions. I’m tired of straight, white dudes owning everything and pushing their idea of what beauty is and what they think their audiences wanna see. Are they all like this? Maybe not, but most.
What do we most need to embrace and reject right now? I think we need to embrace one another and reject the little dramas and infighting so visibly for all to see (serious harm is obviously a different matter). Just be kind and give some grace, but easier said than done; I get it. I understand and acknowledge that we’re not all a big happy family; sociology says there’s always going to be issues in communities. However, we all want to create and work, so I think we can all just be cordial and keep it pushin’.
The most powerful I’ve felt as a Black woman is… definitely when I’m on stage. I try to recall and carry that feeling off stage as much as possible.
To my Black peers I say… keep your head up and keep going, but take time to rest and reset.
I found my place in burlesque when… I started travelling outside of my city to see what else and who else was out there. I felt inspired and learned what more could be possible.
You might be surprised to know that I… continue to struggle with rejection, self doubt and imposter syndrome, but I let it wash over me and try to figure out another path for myself.
What scares me the most is... that I’ll just plateau, and I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen. I’ll continue finding inspiration and various ways to reach people outside of burlesque so that we can all keep doing this art form that we love.
What excites me the most is... remembering that the world is my oyster; there’s so much more knowledge and experiences I have yet to tap, so many places I haven’t seen who haven’t seen me, and so many things out there to inspire me.
Black performers feel safe when… people remember that we are Black. It doesn’t mean that you have to call it out constantly, but be mindful and internally acknowledge it. Why? Because we will almost always have a different experience. For example, there’s a chance that audiences may react differently to us, and travelling while Black can also be hard no matter where in this world you go. Just be mindful.
The best thing you can do for your local scene is… think about various ways to reach audiences and be diverse in who you hire; audiences unconsciously want to see themselves represented and it’s a way to break the stereotypical societal ‘norms’. When given the chance, we can show the mainstream world the various ways art and beauty can look.
Black History Month is important because… Black people are important every day of the year.
Follow Jessabelle Thunder on Instagram and TikTok, and to learn more about her read an in-depth profile published after her Reigning Queen win last year.
Jesabelle is by far and away, my favourite burlesque artist!