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Humans of New York raises $2.6m for former burlesque star known as Tanqueray

Humans of New York raises $2.6m for Tanqueray  (Humans of New York)
Humans of New York raises $2.6m for Tanqueray (Humans of New York)

The popular Instagram account and blog Humans of New York has raised more than $2.6m for a former burlesque dancer named Tanqueray.

Tanqueray, whose real name is Stefanie Johnson, first appeared on the Instagram account, which has more than 10.9m followers, in November 2019.

At the time, the 76-year-old went viral for her enjoyable and memorable stories of her life as a dancer in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s.

Recently, Johnson appeared again, this time to share her life over a 32-part series spread out over a week.

According to Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind the famous account, he decided to share Johnson’s story in the hopes of raising money for her medical expenses.

“Tanqueray caused quite a stir a few months ago when she dropped some truth bombs on us, while wearing a hand-beaded faux mink coat that she made herself,” Stanton wrote on Instagram. “What you don’t know is what happened afterward. Tanqueray - whose real name is Stephanie – sat for a series of twenty interviews with me, during which time I transcribed her entire life story. And whoa boy, what a story.”

On the GoFundMe set up for Johnson called The Tanqueray Trust, Stanton further explains that his goal was to create a podcast with Johnson about her past, but after she suffered a bad fall, he decided to share her story on Instagram in the hopes of raising funds so that she could “live the rest of her life on her own terms”.

“If the series adds any value to your life over the next seven days, please consider making a contribution to our fundraiser through the link in bio,” he added.

In the 32-part series, Johnson shares everything from her childhood in Albany, New York, to becoming pregnant as a teenager.

In one of the posts, she recalls her mother calling the police on her and having her arrested for burglary.

Rather than moving home with her mother, Johnson says she agreed to give her unborn son up for adoption and went to prison at just 18 years old - before later moving to New York City.

The 76-year-old also details her experiences working as a go-go dancer, and later as a headlining burlesque act.

View this post on Instagram

(8/32) “At night I’d lay in bed and listen to the sounds of the street. I never wanted to fall asleep, because I didn’t want to dream about my mother screaming at me. So I’d listen to all the noise outside and I’d start to feel like I was missing out on something. That’s how New York sounds late at night, when you’re lying in bed and you’re scared of going back to where you came from. It sounds like you’re going to lose your place in line. And if you don’t get out of bed—the thing that was supposed to happen to you is gonna happen to someone else. I’d make myself so nervous thinking like that, I’d put on my leather shoes and hop an uptown bus to Times Square. I’d walk down Broadway past all the theaters, and dream about dancing there one day. Then I’d walk a little bit further, past the adult theaters— where I actually end up dancing. By the end of the night I’d usually find myself in one of the clubs. The most famous club in Times Square was the Peppermint Lounge. It’s a parking garage now, but back in the day it was the place to go if you wanted to hear some music. That’s where Chubby Checker invented the twist. But it was usually filled with tourists, so I spent most of my time across the street at The Wagon Wheel. It was more like a community. The clubs weren’t like they are today. There was no VIP section. No velvet ropes and champagne service. Everyone mingled: the pimps, the hustlers, the entertainers, the tourists. Back in the sixties, every club in New York was putting in a stage for GoGo dancers, because a Gogo club could make twice as much as a regular club. The girls would dance in cages or behind the bar, and guys would line up to put money in the jukebox. These girls were getting paid. On a busy night they could make $100 in tips during a five-hour shift. I had to work a full month at the factory for that kind of money. And I was a better dancer than all of them. But I knew the clubs wouldn’t hire me. Because Gogo Dancers had to be perfect. They couldn’t have stretch marks. Couldn’t have tattoos. And they couldn’t be black.”

A post shared by Humans of New York (@humansofny) on Sep 22, 2020 at 10:50am PDT

“Now whenever I get into any kind of whatever - I want to be the best. And Burlesque was no different. So naturally I wanted to be a feature. Only problem was there weren’t no black features. But I was determined to cross the color line, because features were making $1000 a week - at least,” Johnson said.

According to Johnson, she eventually achieved her goal of becoming a feature, at which point she was getting “so many calls that I had to hire an answering service”.

“Before long I had every account in the city. I mean everybody: the investment banks, the sports clubs, the unions, the masons. FDNY was my account. Transit was my account,” she revealed.

But despite her success, Johnson also shared the loneliness that she often felt in her career and personal life.

“Everything was fine when the music was playing. When people were laughing, and clapping, and shouting for more. But I knew I was tanking. Even when I was on the stage, and having fun - I was tanking,” she said. “Some nights I’d go back to the dressing room, and look in the mirror, and I’d realise that I don’t even exist. Nobody’s clapping for Stephanie. They’re clapping for Tanqueray. And sometimes I’d get so depressed thinking like that, I’d just start crying.”

Eventually, Johnson says she stopped dancing burlesque and circled through a series of other career choices, such as a dominatrix and a makeup artist.

“Sometimes I’ll remember the things that happened to me and I’ll just start laughing. I hope when I get to heaven God shows me a movie of my life. But just the funny parts. Not the in-between parts, cause then we’d both start crying,” she told Stanton.

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(29/32) “I can’t tell you the last time I danced burlesque. It wasn’t some big thing. They don’t throw you a retirement party at the Sheraton. The phone just stops ringing. It gets quieter and quieter until one week it’s so quiet that you sorta decide you can make more money doing something else. If anything I was kinda happy about it. I could finally calm down on the make-up and start wearing dungarees. I remember the first thing I did was go out and buy a pair of loafers. But they didn’t seem to fit right. I’d get this sharp pain in my leg every time I walked more than a few blocks. The doctor told me I’d been wearing heels for so long that my calf muscles were completely shrunken. And the only way to build them up again was to wear lower, and lower, and lower heels until I could walk without pain. I guess when you’ve been one way for so long, it’s not easy to be something else. But I had no choice. There’s no next step on the ladder when you’re dancing for tips. The moment you step off that stage, you’ve got to start again at the bottom. So that’s exactly what I did. But I wasn’t worried. I’d been reinventing myself for my entire life. You wouldn’t believe all the things I’ve done: I’ve managed a brothel, I’ve made adult baby clothes, I’ve done make-up for cross dressers. For three years I was one of the top dominatrixes in New York City. I have so many stories. Sometimes I’ll remember the things that happened to me and I’ll just start laughing. I hope when I get to heaven God shows me a movie of my life. But just the funny parts. Not the in-between parts, cause then we’d both start crying. Underneath all the laughs and the gags, it was always about one thing: survival. Tanqueray was a lot of fun. But Tanqueray was Stephanie. And Stephanie was a teenage runaway from Albany: doing what she needed to do, and being who she needed to be, to get what she needed to get.”

A post shared by Humans of New York (@humansofny) on Sep 28, 2020 at 8:20am PDT

In one of the last posts, Johnson reflected on this “one last chance to be on stage,” telling Stanton: “Right as the curtain was coming down, I get this one last chance to be on stage.

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(32/32) “I was walking down the street last winter. I don’t remember what I was thinking about, but I was crying so I couldn’t see much. And I slipped on a patch of ice. I wasn’t on the ground for very long. Somebody rushed over and lifted me off the sidewalk-- but I haven’t been able to walk since. Not much goes on in this apartment. Nothing really changes but the TV channels. So after awhile I started thinking that maybe the show was over for good. And to be honest I was kinda ready. It’s not like I could go anywhere. And nobody was coming over to see me. It was starting to feel like everything that was going to happen to me had already happened. There was nothing left but a bunch of stories. And those aren’t worth much when there’s nobody to listen. But then I got this one last gig. Right as the curtain was coming down, I get this one last chance to be on stage. One last chance to be Tanqueray. And I haven’t forgotten how to do it. Maybe I can’t wear my heels anymore, but I can put on my make-up. And I might not be able to dance but I can talk like I need to talk. To make people smile. And laugh. And to keep them looking at me—so I can feel like I exist for just a few more minutes, before the lights go out for good. It’s just a few minutes. That’s how long you’ve got to hold em’. It’s not very long at all. But if you’re doing it right—it can feel like forever.”

A post shared by Humans of New York (@humansofny) on Sep 28, 2020 at 3:35pm PDT

“One last chance to be Tanqueray. And I haven’t forgotten how to do it. Maybe I can’t wear my heels anymore, but I can put on my make-up. And I might not be able to dance but I can talk like I need to talk. To make people smile. And laugh.”

Over the past week, Johnson’s story has been met with an outpouring of support from thousands of fans.

In addition to applauding her, commiserating with her and expressing their gratitude for her story-telling, many donated to the Tanqueray Trust.

As of Wednesday, the GoFundMe has raised $2,633,260 - far surpassing its goal of $1m.

According to Stanton, the money will be placed in a trust so that it can provide Johnson with “sustainable, long-term care”.

“The trust will cover her living expenses and health care needs moving forward. (Which will admittedly be quite extensive.) And at Stephanie’s request, any money remaining at the end of her life will be donated to The Association To Benefit Children - a highly respected New York charity dedicated to helping the city’s most vulnerable children,” he said.

You can donate to the Tanqueray Trust here.

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