On Point With: Vidana

The Bionic Bimbo of Brooklyn is repairing herself before a Spooky Season Slay next month… behold the villainous Vidana! [Cover photo: Daniel Roa]

Thotyssey: Thanks for talking with is tonight, Vidana! How did your month go?

Vidana: September was a wild ride for me. I had to get a surgery where they took out some veins and muscle that were causing me pain for over a year. I did a quick recovery back at my parents home for two weeks, but now I’m back in the game! I was very eager to get right back to it… I just can’t do stunts for another four weeks.

Oh goodness, we’re glad all is well now! What’s a stunty number you look forward to doing again?

Oh, there’s this crossing guard number that I have been wanting to bust out so bad. So once this body is in check, I plan on giving one of my most cunty yet completely unhinged performances.

So where are you from originally, and were performing / music / fashion etc. always in your life?

So I was born and raised in Cape Cod, and ended up going to SUNY Purchase in Westchester where I started drag with that massive drag community. I was hiding pieces of drag, and shipped them down to my school right before I left for move-in, and started drag the day after. I originally went to school for classical music performance, and ended up transferring to a college in the city for fashion once Corona hit.

I’ve been living in the City ever since, but only started performing here back in summer of 2021. I had to take roughly a year off of drag since I broke the right side of my face and ended up getting facial reconstruction; four titanium plates later, I consider myself the Bionic Bimbo of Brooklyn.

Stunts upon stunts! What happened there!?

Lol, I hadn’t eaten in over a day and passed out standing up in the subway as the train slammed on the breaks and flew into me face first.

Oh my Christ! That’s a very lucky outcome.

Yeah, thank God I was able to get it fixed; they had to rebreak my bones to get it done.

A true Terminatrix! How did the name Vidana come to you?

I wanted something original, short and sweet. I was searching names when I stumbled on Vidana — it happens to be a combination of my two friends who accepted me from the jump and helped me come out of the closet. They always push me to be the best person I can, and I thought it would be a sweet way of showing Vaughan and Deanna’s importance to me and my livelihood.

Love that! What have been some of your favorite experiences doing drag in NYC since you started performing here?

I absolutely loved competing in Janelle No. 5’s “Ultimate Diva” pageant; I worked tirelessly, and was so proud of what I got to showcase. It pushed me to work harder. I also loved shooting the Museum of Ice Cream Pride campaign this year with Daniel Roa, a close friend of mine.

You’ll be back with Janelle and a massive coven of Fright Queens for the Spooky Season premiere of “DIVAS” at 3 Dollar Bill on Thurs, October 6!

Yes, I’m so excited to be joining this amazing cast! Each of us have picked an iconic Halloween character to portray, and I can’t wait to be a dumb bitch on stage again. My number will be based on Drew Barrymore’s character in Scream and the opening scene from Scary Movie, a favorite of mine.

You’re still in recovery, but is there anything else coming up for you that you can confirm?

I don’t have much else set right now, but I plan on producing shows very soon! My goal is to have extremely diverse rotating casts. I want to showcase every aspect of NYC drag.

Excellent! Okay, lastly: what might some good advice be for a baby queen trying to make it in NYC today?

Show up and support! Being present in the community is a big key to success. Work hard and find what makes you stand out from the masses, and pour your focus into that.

Thanks, Vidana!