Local Stories: The fabulous Miami Minx Fabian Moreno works as a barista by day and dazzles Montreal’s burlesque scene by night

Harry North Staff Writer

The lights flicker and the poised audience draws to silence. Old school jazz or perhaps Michael Bublé’s ‘Feeling Good’ kicks off, and Miami Minx strides out beaming a flirtatious smile. She commands the room.

After strutting around the bar floor and teasing the audience— dashing to the left and back again— she whisks off the first clothing item. The show is underway. And the skill, raunch, and thrill only proliferate. The act culminates when Miami is just in pasties, holding a pair of sparkling handcuffs.

Fabian Moreno, 31, works as a barista by day, mustering cups of joe for students and downtown regulars at Pikolo Espresso Bar. Come night, he takes to Montreal’s burlesque stages and enthralls drag coteries as Miami Minx.

“[Miami] is an exaggerated version of the normal Fabian!” he exclaims.

Fabian is originally from Doral, Miami. He first came to Montreal at 18 to visit his old neighbours from Miami, who were close family friends, and fell in love with the city, so he migrated in 2010.

Fabian’s goal was permanent residency. He got into CEGEP but realized he needed a different level of education to obtain permanent residency. Eventually, Fabian settled on a vocational study in graphic design at the Rosemount Centre, which he completed in 2012. This paved the way for him to settle down in Montreal long-term.

The Wiggle Room introduced Fabian to burlesque in 2016. Every Wednesday night, he would sit in the front row and soak in the entertainment. He was then asked to help out as a stage kitten, picking up the dancer’s clothes while the audience meowed.

Burlesque is typically an erotic storytelling performance removing costume pieces, similar to drag, said Fabian , who also considers himself a drag queen—though drag focuses more heavily on lip-syncing.

To learn more, he volunteered at the Arabesque Burlesque Academy, acquiring credits towards classes. He used these credits to pay for Class B, a 10-week intensive program at the academy.

Fabian made his debut in 2017 back where it all started—The Wiggle Room. Six years in, Fabian