Tandi Iman Dupree (August 14, 1978 – December 31, 2005) was an American drag queen best known for her "Wonder Woman" performance at the Miss Gay Black America pageant in 2001, the video of which went on to become an Internet viral hit after it was uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

in 2005.

Biography

Dupree was born and raised in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Dupree began her dance career in high school when she was co-captain of the majorette squad until her graduation. She first began competing at the N-Cognito nightclub in Memphis, where she created original routines with other dancers in the area. Dupree's drag mother was

Tamisha Iman Tamisha Iman is the stage name of Will Crawford, an American drag queen most known for competing on the thirteenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and winning several drag pageants. She is a drag matriarch and the founder of the Iman Dynasty, a ...

. Dupree died from complications of AIDS in December 2005, without achieving her dream of winning the Miss Gay Black America pageant.

2001 Miss Gay Black America pageant

At the 2001 Miss Gay Black America pageant, Dupree and her dance partner Dee St. James performed a routine to the song "

Holding Out for a Hero "Holding Out for a Hero" is a song recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for the soundtrack to the 1984 film ''Footloose''. It later featured on her sixth studio album, ''Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire'' (1986). The track was produced by Jim S ...

" by Bonnie Tyler. During the performance, Dupree was dressed as

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

, with St. James dressed as

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

. Dupree notably entered the performance by dropping from the ceiling, landing on the stage in a split. In 2009, this video was uploaded to

, where it went viral.

Accolades

Jake Coyle, an entertainment reporter for The Associated Press, described Dupree’s stage entrance at the 2001 pageant as the greatest entrance of all time. ''The Dallas Voice'' expressed admiration for Dupree’s performance at the 2001 pageant, particularly describing the stage entrance as the "Best Drag Queen Entrance Ever."

Influence on popular culture

Dupree's performance at the 2001 pageant inspired a tribute on the television series ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'', where Kitty Wilde began her dance performance to "Holding Out for a Hero" by landing on the floor in a split, an imitation of Dupree's performance at the 2001 pageant. In its review of the ''Glee'' episode, ''Out'' magazine referred to Dupree's stage entry as an "epic entrance." Dupree's performance was referenced in episode three of the thirteenth season of '' RuPaul's Drag Race'', in which Dupree's drag mother,

, is a competitor. Kate Kulzick of '' The AV Club'' described the acknowledgement of Dupree's legacy as "wonderful to see".

References

External links

*https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tandi-Iman-Dupree/20017684966 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dupree, Iman Tandi African-American drag queens American drag queens 1978 births 2005 deaths AIDS-related deaths in the United States American female dancers 20th-century American dancers 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American LGBT people 21st-century American women 21st-century American LGBT people