Beyonce’s moves are so iconic that they have spawned thousands of dance classes around the world inspired by her.
However, it has now been claimed that her most signature move, her famous butt shake, actually came from a very unexpected source.
Speaking in the BBC documentary Boybands Forever, British ’90s group 911 claimed the move, saying they taught Beyoncé how to do it.
Formed by Lee Brennan, Jimmy Constable and Simon ‘Spike’ Dawbarn in 1995, the group had ten UK top 10 singles in the five years prior to their split.
For their 1997 hit Bodyshakin’, they shook their bodies when they performed, and Spike revealed that Beyoncé was fascinated by their show.
He explained: ‘There’s something about that movement… we did a TV show with Destiny’s Child. We performed and did Bodyshakin’ and Beyoncé was like, “Show us that move! Keep doing it.”
Beyonce’s moves are so iconic that they have spawned dance classes all over the world. However, it has now been claimed that her famous bum shake actually came from a very unexpected source.
Speaking on Boybands Forever, British group 911 claimed the move, saying they taught Beyoncé how to do it (LR Simon ‘Spike’ Dawburn, Jimmy Constable and Lee Brennan in 1996).
Spike continued: ‘And Jimmy and I just stood there doing the move because if Beyoncé asked you to do it, you did it!
‘So when you see videos of Beyoncé shaking her booty, I’m like, ‘Oh, she stole it!’ We did it first!’
This isn’t the first time Beyoncé has been accused of stealing dance moves.
In 2011, Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker claimed that the singer had copied several of her moves for her single Countdown..
Speaking to a Danish blog, De Keersmaeker said Beyonce’s record label had not asked her permission to use her original work.
‘I didn’t know anything about this. “I’m not angry, but this is plagiarism,” she said.
Meanwhile, speaking about the inspiration behind Bodyshakin, songwriter John McLaughlin reflected on the BBC programme: “Spike and Jimmy were fantastic dancers. It wasn’t even dancing, it was acrobatics…
‘So I thought, “Okay, let’s give them a song that’s thematic.” We wanted it to sound like a dance. A word that simply sticks in your brain.
‘When Bodyshakin’ came, I thought ah, that’s it!’
MailOnline has contacted Beyoncé’s representatives for comment.
Spike revealed: ‘We did a TV show with Destiny’s Child. We did Bodyshakin’ and Beyoncé was like, “Show us that move! Keep doing it.” ‘She stole it!’
For their 1997 hit Bodyshakin’, the band shook their bodies while performing, and Spike revealed that Beyoncé was fascinated by their show and asked them how to do the move.
This isn’t the first time Beyoncé has been accused of stealing dance moves (pictured in her music video for her 2011 hit Countdown).
Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker previously claimed that the singer had copied several of her moves for her single Countdown.
Boybands Forever uncovered the dark side of ’90s and ’90s bands, and Lee admitted his time with 911 was “a whirlwind of planes, hotels, concerts and press conferences.”
“We were very tired and didn’t have a minute to think,” he confessed, before sharing that he found it difficult to handle the fans’ attention.
The band broke up in 2010 and Jimmy He was tasked with announcing the news in a live radio interview on the Chris Moyles Show on Radio 1 in 2000.
In an interview with The Guardian in 2005, Jimmy revealed the impact it had on him. “I didn’t have time to understand it,” he said.
‘I got a lump in my throat saying it, then we left Radio 1 and the other two boys went to the pub. I got in my car and left and didn’t see them for two years.
After the band broke up, Jimmy turned to drink and drugs, facing a battle with addiction that eventually led to him appearing on Jeremy Kyle’s show in 2013.
After their split, 911 have reunited for several concerts in recent years.
Last year, the group collaborated with Vietnamese singer Đức Phúc for a bilingual version of I Do in English and Vietnamese, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 in Vietnam.
They had several top 10 hits including Bodyshakin, Private Number and All I Want Is You.
Formed in 1995, the group had ten UK top 10 singles in the five years prior to their split. They had several top 10 hits including Bodyshakin, Private Number and All I Want Is You.
911 has reunited for several concerts in recent years and last year the group collaborated with Vietnamese singer Đức Phúc for a bilingual version of I Do in English and Vietnamese.