Arts & Entertainment
‘I was born to create and entertain’
DJ Nina Flowers was ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ premiere season runner-up
Bombastic flowers of extravagant colors and shapes hang from the nightclub’s roof. The half-lit dance floor at times simulates a jungle with exotic plants and butterflies. Some flowers that are placed on the stage symbolize the birth of music, which Nina Flowers generates from her turntables.
Flowers knows exactly what sounds to combine so that the audience goes into ecstasy, a sensation that bounces back instantly and makes you raise your arms to the metallic beat that is more intense with every second. When the music reaches its climax, the lights explode like lightning and Flowers emerges with one hand on her headphones and the other directing the electrifying atmosphere at will at The Manor, one of the most popular nightclubs in Wilton Manors, a gay Mecca in South Florida.
Flowers — a DJ, music producer, former drag queen and makeup artist — is the guest star on this Saturday. Many in the audience pull out their cell phones to film her while they continue to dance, and more than a few of them come to ask for a picture or autograph.
Flowers is widely recognized among the LGBTQ community, especially for her appearances on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Flowers finished second in the show’s season premiere in 2009.
A lot has happened in Flowers’ professional and personal life since then. She agreed to an exclusive interview with the Washington Blade via email.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Many have followed your career since you became a celebrity, but how did it all start? What prompted you to pursue a career as a DJ in the first place?
NINA FLOWERS: When I was very young, still a child, I used to accompany my father who helped a friend who was DJing at private parties. From the first time I went to one of these events, it was like love at first sight.
BLADE: What was your training as a DJ?
FLOWERS: I started playing neighborhood parties; family parties; at school, until I built a reputation and then continued to hold private parties and corporate events. At the age of 16 (in 1989) I auditioned for the first time for a position of resident DJ of a new club in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where I am from, and it was there where I obtained my first residency in a club. From there I continued working in many clubs on the island, until I had to move to the United States. And my career exploded.
BLADE: Is it true that back then you performed with a masculine appearance in the beginning?
FLOWERS: Correct and under the name of Jorge Flores, which is my birth name, then under the nickname of DJ Flowers that one of my previous bosses baptized.
BLADE: Precisely from where where does your stage name come?
FLOWERS: Nina is in tribute to my favorite artist, Nina Hagen, better known as the mother of punk rock. Flowers comes from my last name, Flores, in English. As I was already known as DJ Flowers, I decided to keep the relationship between both characters and the brand.
BLADE: How is the process to produce your music?
FLOWERS: It is an extremely fun and creative process. The first thing is that you have to be in those days where the “creative juices” are flowing. There are times that nothing works out, no matter how hard you try. Other days, pure wonders come out. The main thing is to have the knowledge of production and in turn of the program that is used to produce it. Basically (you need to) have a good set of tools, as well as a good team. The magic will be infinite once you have that and the desire to create.
BLADE: How would you define your sound?
FLOWERS: Progressive, sticky, tasty, tribal, different. Quite the opposite of what is commercial or what we hear everywhere.
BLADE: What do you feel behind the booth and surrounded by the public at that moment?
FLOWERS: Excitement, energy! I feel blessed to have the joy of being able to develop what I do with love and at the same time receive the support of those who follow me.
Flowers released her first single “Loca” in December 2009 in collaboration with DJ Ranny. The song reached its highest position (#15) on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart the week of Jan. 30, 2010. She released her first mini-album entitled “Start Your Engines,” a compilation of six original tracks that he made with producer and remixer William Umana, in July of that same year.
Flowers in January 2011 released her dance single “I’m Feelin Flowers” and in July 2012 she released her single “Rock the Beat.”
BLADE: How was your transition from DJ to drag queen?
FLOWERS: Very soft and divine. When I started in the drag scene I was already working as a DJ in clubs, so I already had many friends and followers who supported me at all times. I started in the drag scene in 1993.
BLADE: If you had to define your style of drag, what would it be?
FLOWERS: Authentic, imposing, different, intense, colorful, energetic, androgynous and fun.
BLADE: How do you do it?
FLOWERS: A creation that combines my roots of who I am as a person, of what I like and attracts me, of my feelings and my artistic side.
BLADE: You competed on the first season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” How would you describe that experience?
FLOWERS: Incredible. Definitely an opportunity that I will never forget, and that surely opened the doors for me to be discovered throughout the world. It was a blessing for me.
BLADE: How did you feel when you finished in second place?
FLOWERS: No particular feeling. I was sad, of course, because obviously we all want to win. But if it didn’t affect me, it was because it wasn’t meant for me. I was very proud of my role in the show, and I know that I performed in the best possible way. At the same time BeBe Zahara Benet (the winner) and I became super good friends during the filming, and in the end I was very happy for her. She did an incredible job and worked as hard as I did, so to me she deserved it as much as I did.
BLADE: You did, however, win the Miss Congeniality award during the first season’s reunion special, making you the first runner-up to win the title and the best Miss. Could we call it your revenge?
FLOWERS: I think so (laughs).
BLADE: You were on RuPaul’s show in 2009, 2010 and 2012. What did you learn and how many opportunities has this television show brought to your career?
FLOWERS: Based on what I learned, the important thing is to be sure of yourself and to lose your fear of those things that we sometimes tell ourselves that we cannot do or achieve; to be positive at all times; and face any challenge that comes our way.
In terms of opportunities, it gave me global exposure, opening doors that I never dreamed would be there for me.
BLADE: I understand there is a Nina Flowers Day. Can you explain how it happened? What happens on your day?
FLOWERS: (Then-Denver Mayor) John Hickenlooper in 2009 gave me the honor of naming May 29 as Nina Flowers Day. This was in gratitude from the community and the city for the impact that I had brought to Denver after participating in the program and being one of its residents. They were all very proud of me. The reality is that I have never stopped touring the nation and internationally since the show happened, so I never had the opportunity to organize any event to commemorate the day.
BLADE: Why did you decide to abandon your career as a drag queen, even though you were so renowned in that world?
FLOWERS: Very simple. When I decided to stop it was simply because I needed new challenges in my life. I needed a change. I already knew it was time to conquer other territories. In my case the territory of music, which has always been my priority and my number one passion.
BLADE: You remain in drag, however, when you perform as a DJ. Why?
FLOWERS: It’s part of the Nina Flowers brand. A brand that took many years of preparation, sacrifice and is recognized worldwide. Why am I leaving her behind?
BLADE: DJ, drag queen, makeup artist … Which of your facets fulfill you the most as an artist?
FLOWERS: The entertainment. I was born to create and entertain. In the three facets I have the opportunity to develop myself in what I love so much, but my passion is music.
BLADE: How has the current pandemic affected you, taking into account that the entertainment industry has been one of the most affected areas?
FLOWERS: It has unfortunately affected me a lot financially, because almost all events in 2020 were cancelled. There were some cities that managed to have events. I worked on some of them, which caused a lot of personal attacks by COVID Karens, who only dedicate themselves to personal attacks on social media. This affected me emotionally, but it didn’t stop me either. All of us who have agreed to work during the pandemic have our reasons, our obligations, our needs. No one has the right to point out or judge anyone for their decisions, much less without knowing the reasons for being. For my part I continue and will continue forward. Nobody stops me. Nightlife will be the last to recover. Hopefully we will all recover from this global hit very soon.
In an effort to continue creating and not lose connection with her fans, Flowers has presented her most recent musical chapter “Resurgimiento” through the Twitch and Zoom platforms.
BLADE: What are you working on right now?
FLOWERS: On music. This is my life, my reason for being. It’s all I do
BLADE: Tell us a bit about Nina Flowers offstage. What are you like at home?
FLOWERS: Completely different. A little introverted, quiet, reserved, homey. I love cooking. I really like sewing and photography. Happily married for almost 14 years. I love animals and I am very family oriented.
BLADE: Is your personal life as successful as your professional one?
FLOWERS: Yes, thank goodness!
BLADE: What are those goals or dreams that you still haven’t achieved?
FLOWERS: I’ve already conquered the music circuit of the gay community. I would love and dream of a transition to the “straight community.” Someday it will be! I am already recognized as a DJ, so my goal for the moment is to achieve the same level of recognition or more as a music producer. Today that is my focus.
Theater
‘Jonah’ an undeniably compelling but unusual memory play
Studio production draws on scenes from the past, present, and from imagination
‘Jonah’
Through April 19
Studio Theatre
1504 14th St., N.W.
$55-$95 (discounts available)
Studiotheatre.org
Written by Rachel Bonds, “Jonah” is an undeniably compelling but unusual memory play with scenes pulled from the past, some present, and others seemingly imagined. Despite its title, the play is about Ana, a complicated young woman processing past trauma from the fragile safety of her usually quiet bedroom.
Studio Theatre’s subtly powerful production (through April 19) is finely realized. Director Taylor Reynolds smartly helms an especially strong cast and an inspired design team.
As Ana, out actor Ismenia Mendes radiates a quiet magnetism. She nails the intelligent woman with a hard exterior that sometimes melts away to reveal a warm curiosity and sense of humor despite a history of loss.
When we first meet Ana, she’s a scholarship student at a boarding school where she’s very much on the radar of Jonah, a sensitive day student (charmingly played by Rohan Maletira). Initially reluctant to know him, Ana soon breaks the ice by playfully lifting her shirt and flashing him. It’s a budding romance oozing with inexperience. And just like that, there’s a blast of white light and woosh, Jonah’s gone. Literally sucked out of an upstage door.
Clearly romanticized, the scenes between Ana and Jonah are a perfect memory captured in time that surely must be too good to be entirely true.
“Jonah,” a well-made nonlinear work, is pleasing to follow. Each of Bond’s scenes end with a promise that more will be revealed. And over its almost two hours, Ana’s story deftly unfolds in some satisfying ways, ultimately piecing together like a puzzle.
Next, Ana is a college writing student. She’s alone in her dorm room when volatile stepbrother Danny (Quinn M. Johnson) visits the campus. Growing up in Detroit, Danny was Ana’s protector taking the brunt of her stepfather’s abuse after the untimely death Ana’s mother. Now, he’s sort of a clinging nuisance; nonetheless, they maintain a trauma rooted relationship.
And finally, 40ish and still guarded, Ana is a published writer. While working in her bedroom at a rural writer’s retreat, she’s joined by a nerdy stranger, Steven (Louis Reyes McWilliams). At first annoyed by this fellow writer’s presence, Ana is ultimately won over by his dogged devotion, sincerity, and kind words. What’s more, he’s not unacquainted with abuse, and he’s willing to delve into discussions of intimacy. Again, is it too good to be true?
Chronology be damned, these three male characters come and go, dismissed and recalled. It’s through them that Ana’s emotional journey is reflected. They pursue, but she allows them into her life in different ways for different reasons.
Bonds, whose plays have been produced at Studio in the past (world premiere of “The Wolfe Twins” and “Curve of Departure”), and Reynolds who scored a huge success directing Studio’s production of “Fat Ham” in 2023, are well matched. Reynolds’s successful intimate staging and obvious respect for the script’s serious themes without losing its lighter moments are testimony to that.
Essential to the play is Ana’s bedroom created by set designer Sibyl Wickersheimer. It’s a traditional kind of bedroom, all wooden furniture with a neat and tidy kind of farmhouse feel to it. There are two large window frames with views of darkness. It could be anywhere. The only personal items are writing devices and maybe the lived-in bedding, but other than that, not a lot indicates home.
Movies
The Oscar-losing performance that’s too good to miss
‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ now streaming
Now that Oscar season is officially over, most movie lovers are ready to move on and start looking ahead to the upcoming crop of films for the standouts that might be contenders for the 2026 awards race.
Even so, 2025 was a year with a particularly excellent slate of releases: Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” which became rivals for the Best Picture slot as well as for total number of wins for the year, along with acclaimed odds-on favorites like “Hamnet,” with its showcase performance by Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley, and “Weapons,” with its instantly iconic turn by Best Supporting Actress Amy Madigan.
But while these high-profile titles may have garnered the most attention (and viewership), there were plenty of lesser-seen contenders that, for many audiences, might have slipped under the radar. So while we wait for the arrival of this summer’s hopeful blockbusters and the “prestige” cinema that tends to come in the last quarter of the year, it’s worth taking a look back at some of the movies that may have come up short in the quest for Oscar gold, but that nevertheless deserve a place on any film buff’s “must-see” list; one of the most essential among them is “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” which earned a Best Actress Oscar nod for Rose Byrne. A festival hit that premiered at Sundance and went on to win international honors – for both Byrne and filmmaker Jane Bronstein – from other film festivals and critics’ organizations (including the Dorian Awards, presented by GALECA, the queer critics association), it only received a brief theatrical release in October of last year, so it’s one of those Academy Award contenders that most people who weren’t voters on the “FYC” screener list for the Oscars had limited opportunity to see. Now, it’s streaming on HBO Max.
Written and directed by Bronstein, it’s not the kind of film that will ever be a “popular” success. Surreal, tense, disorienting, and loaded with trigger-point subject matter that evokes the divisive emotional biases inherent in its premise, it’s an unsettling experience at best, and more likely to be an alienating one for any viewer who comes to it unprepared.
Byrne stars as Linda, a psychotherapist who juggles a busy practice with the demands of being mother to a child with severe health issues; her daughter (Delaney Quinn) suffers from a pediatric feeding disorder and must take her nutrition through a tube, requiring constant supervision and ongoing medical therapy – and she’s not polite about it, either. Seemingly using her condition as an excuse to be coddled, the child is uncooperative with her treatment plan and makes excessive demands on her mother’s attention, and the girl’s father (Christian Slater) – who spends weeks away as captain of a cruise ship – expects Linda to manage the situation on the home front while offering little more than criticism and recriminations over the phone.
Things are made even more stressful when the ceiling collapses in their apartment, requiring mother and child to move to a seedy beachside motel. Understandably overwhelmed, Linda turns increasingly toward escape, mostly through avoidance and alcohol; she finds her own inner conflicts reflected by her clients – particularly a new mother (Danielle Macdonald) struggling with extreme postpartum anxiety – and her therapy sessions with a colleague (Conan O’Brien, in a brilliantly effective piece of against-type casting) threaten to cross ethical and professional boundaries. Growing ever more isolated, she eventually finds a thread of potential connection in the motel’s sympathetic superintendent (A$AP Rocky) – but with her own mental state growing ever more muddled and her daughter’s health challenges on the verge of becoming a lifelong burden, she finds herself drawn toward an unthinkable solution to her dilemma.
With its cryptic title – which sounds like the punchline to a macabre joke and evokes expectations of “body horror” creepiness – and its dreamlike, disjointed approach, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” feels like a dark comedic thriller from the outset, but few viewers are likely to get many laughs from it. Too raw to be campy and too cold to invite our compassion, it’s a film that dwells in an uncomfortable zone where we are too mortified to be moved and too appalled to look away. Though it’s technically a drama, Bronstein presents it as a horror story, of sorts, driven by psychological rather than supernatural forces, and builds it on an uneasy structure that teases us with expectations of “body horror” grotesquerie while forcing us to identify with a character whose lack of (presumably) universal parental instinct feels transgressive in a way that is somehow even more disquieting than the gore and mutilation we imagine might be coming at any moment of the film.
And we do imagine it, even expect it to come, which is as much to do with the near-oppressive claustrophobia that results from Bronstein’s use of near-constant close-ups as it does with the hint of impending violence that pervades the psychological tension. It’s not just that our frame of vision is kept tight and limited; her tactic keeps us uncertain of what’s going on outside the edges, creating a near-constant sense of something unseen lurking just beyond our view. Yet it also helps to put us into Linda’s state of mind; for almost the entire film, we never see the face of her daughter – nor do we ever know the child’s name – and her husband is just a strident voice on the other end of a phone call, and the effect places us squarely into her dissociated, depressed, and desperate existence.
Anchoring it all, of course, is Byrne’s remarkable performance. Vivid, vulnerable, and painfully real, it’s the centerpiece of the film, the part that emerges as greater than the whole; and while Oscar may have passed her over, she delivers a star turn for the ages and gives profound voice to a dark side of feminine experience that is rarely allowed to be aired.
That, of course, is the key to Bronstein’s seeming purpose; inspired by her own struggles with postpartum depression, her film feels like both a confession and an exorcism, a parable in which the expectations of unconditional motherly love fall into question, and the burden placed on a woman to subjugate her own existence in service of a child – and a seemingly ungrateful one, at that – becomes a powerful exploration of feminist themes. It’s an exploration that might go too far, for some, but it expresses a truth that those of us who are not mothers (and many of us who are) might be loath to acknowledge.
Uncomfortable though it may be, Bronstein’s movie draws us in and persuades our emotional investment despite its difficult and unlikable characters, thanks to her star player and her layered, puzzle-like screenplay, which captures Linda’s scattered psyche and warped perceptions with an approach that creates structure through fragments, clues and suggestions; and while it may not land quite as squarely, in the end, as we might hope, its bold and transgressive style – coupled with the career-topping performance at its center – are more than enough reason to catch this Oscar “also-ran” before putting this year’s award season behind you once and for all.
Friday, March 27
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].
Saturday, March 28
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black Lesbian. For more details, email [email protected].
Monday, March 30
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
“Tea Time! A Local DC Drag Comedy Show” will be at 3 p.m. at Spark Social. This is a live drag comedy show where drag legends TrevHER & Tiara Missou Sidora host spill all the tea in the DMV. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Tuesday, March 31
Visibili-TEA Party will be at 6 p.m. at Restoration Station. Guests are encouraged to come sip, celebrate, and shine together. This event is a Trans Day of Visibility celebration and a special collaboration between Auntie’s Home and Damien Ministries. This is a boozy tea party with intention and the dress code reflects the vibe. More details are available on Eventbrite.
Wednesday, March 1
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Thursday, April 2
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
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