Sophomore photography major Adrianna Gutierrez debuted her drag persona Pixxie at Circus Critters, a circus-themed dance showcase for Columbia students to show off their skills outside of the classroom.

Gutierrez used the showcase to introduce her new persona Pixxie to an audience for the first time. She said the persona is still developing, giving her room to explore different aspects of the character through future performances.

“A lot of people spend so much time really curating what it is, this character that they want to put out into the world,” Gutierrez said. “I’m honored to be at such an early point in what this character will be.”

Gutierrez said her interest in drag began during a Student Programming Board Halloween drag show, where she performed as Divine, an influential drag performer and lead star in the cult film “Pink Flamingos.” After that experience, friends encouraged her to try performing again in Circus Critters.

One of those friends was Rosa Weinand, a sophomore acting for stage and screen major.

Weinand said they watched Gutierrez slowly build the idea for Pixxie, from costume planning to song choices. 

“I could see every time that she was mentally building up to actually doing it,” Weinand said.

Gutierrez described Pixxie as an extension of herself rather than a separate character, shaped by her heritage, queer identity and interest in magical and theatrical image. 

“My inspirations are always kind of my Latin culture as somebody that’s Puerto Rican and Dominican, and also those witchy movies and nature motifs,” Gutierrez said. 

For Gutierrez, the goal was not perfection but expression.

“I don’t think you should be afraid of being imperfect,” she said. “I think that’s kind of the big encompassing thing, being imperfect and loud and having fun anyway.”

That mindset became important as she had to adjust much of her performance after she fractured her ankle just days before her drag performance. 

Gutierrez worked with stage blocks and adapted choreography to match what she could physically do.

Paulina Miramontes, a sophomore graphic design major and Gutierrez’s roommate, said she still remembers being surprised when she saw the performance at Circus Critters.

“She refused to tell me any details,” Miramontes said. “I was shocked to see her in animal print, cheetah face makeup and being introduced as a drag queen.”

Miramontes said some of the most memorable moments were unplanned. During rehearsal, Gutierrez accidentally fell off a stage block, a moment that was later incorporated into the performance.

“That fit so well with her exaggerated and aggressive performance,” Miramontes said.

Miramontes also said Gutierrez had to improvise parts of the act after realizing the performance space was much larger than where she had rehearsed. Because much of the routine had been developed in a small room, Gutierrez reworked her movements to fill the stage and perform closer to the audience.

“It made her performance much more entertaining,” Miramontes said.

Calme Brown, a 2026 graduate from the School of Theatre and Dance, and creator and producer of Circus Critters, said Pixxie stood out immediately during the audition process. 

Brown created the show as an independent senior project to give students a space for experimental cabaret style performances.

Brown was excited to have a drag performer in his show and said that Gutierrez “popped off” during rehearsals. 

He said Pixxie displayed comedy and character work in a way that made the performance engaging.

“Pixxie really leaned into the comedic aspects of the performance,” Brown said. “She really nailed being a diva.”

For Gutierrez, the experience of performing as Pixxie went beyond a single show.

“It’s definitely opened up an avenue to me that I didn’t know was possible,” she said. “I think that’s probably my biggest takeaway from this whole thing, that I can do things that I didn’t think were possible for myself.”

As Pixxie continues to develop, Gutierrez said she hopes to lean further into camp, comedy and theatrical performance while staying true to the imperfect style she embraced from the beginning.

“You don’t have to be perfect,” she said. “As long as you want to do it, I think your passion will show more to people than your refinement.”

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