It’s only the second year that Brighton Beach, the heart of New York City’s Russian-speaking immigrant community, will hold a gay-pride parade. “We want to remind that the culture itself was queer,” he said, referring to the liberal vibe of the early post-Soviet period, “when people just didn't give a shit about who you were what was your identity.” Lyosha Gorshkov, president of RUSA, said songs from the ‘90s in particular hearkened back to a more tolerant era in Russian society. Some listeners saw a political message in the nostalgic pop selection. Samara delights the crowd with her rendition of Russian pop songs. It is traditional for Russians to flog each other with the twigs, known as veniki, when visiting a banya, or bathhouse – less so to do it wearing a red corset. The biggest hit of the night was the song “Russian Style,” when "Queen Alexis" – a blonde wearing a gigantic royal headdress – gyrated on stage while a shirtless bathhouse attendant thrashed her with birch branches. “I believe when I get on stage, I expose my inner self.” “I want to show that everyone can express themselves the way they need to,” Kutuzov said, in Russian. His alter-ego is Corbie Crow, who started off the night dressed to the nines in a voluminous ballgown, belting out the ‘90s hit “Zhenshchina Vsegda Prava” (The Woman is Always Right). “ It shows the spectator that you don't have to be ashamed of yourself, your desires, your self-expression,” explained performer Alex Kutuzov. Last year’s event in Brooklyn was the first-ever pride parade for Russian-speaking immigrants in the United States.
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The event was free, but organizers collected tips to support RUSA LGBT’s participation in the Brighton Beach Pride Parade on May 20, as well as RUSA’s contingent in the larger New York City Pride Parade later in the summer.
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The performers are members of RUSA LGBT, an organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender immigrants from Russian-speaking countries. The performance, called “Nashi Pesni” (Our Songs), is held each month at Therapy NYC, a gay bar near New York’s theater district. Strutting on stage in stilettos and towering headdresses, Russian-speaking immigrants turned the traditions of their homelands upside-down with a cheeky drag show in New York City last weekend. Corbie Crow and Queen Alexis perform a duet while wearing traditional Russian headdresses.