Beyonce accused of ‘robbing’ her signature booty shake from ‘90s boy band 911: ‘We did it first’

911 had collaborated with Beyonce’s Destiny’s Child for a TV show in the late 1990s where the Grammy award winner saw their dance moves
UPDATED DEC 3, 2024
British boy band 911 claimed that they were the ones who taught Beyonce how to do her signature booty shake (Getty Images)
British boy band 911 claimed that they were the ones who taught Beyonce how to do her signature booty shake (Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND: The popular boy band of the '90s, 911, has claimed Beyonce “robbed” them of their famous dance move and made it her own!

The 43-year-old performer and talented dancer has inspired thousands of young people to emulate her dance moves. However, according to the latest development, Queen Bey might have drawn inspiration for her signature booty-shaking dance move from a surprising source. 

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 22: (Editorial Use Only) (Exclusive Coverage) Beyoncé performs onstage during the
Beyonce performs onstage during the Renaissance World Tour at Soldier Field on July 22, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Parkwood)

Appearing on the BBC documentary ‘Boybands Forever’, the British boyband 911 said the ‘Crazy in Love’ singer “robbed” them of their dance move, per Daily Mail

911 claims Beyonce drew inspiration from their music video

The British boyband comprising of Lee Brennan, Jimmy Constable and Simon 'Spike' Dawbarn, was formed in 1995. Within five years, they had ten singles in the UK Top 10 chart as well. 

The famous group even collaborated with Beyonce’s Destiny’s Child for a TV show in the late 1990s. At the same time, they famously released their 1997 hit ‘Bodyshakin’ where they introduced a bodyshaking choreography in their performance. 



 

911’s Spike is now revealing that the song that reached the top spot of UK Top 10 also fascinated the multiple Grammy winner. 

Recalling the experience, Spike shared, “There's something about that move... we did a TV show with Destiny's Child. We performed and we did 'Bodyshakin' and Beyonce was like 'Show us that move! Keep doing it'."

Simon Spike Dawburn, Jimmy Constable, and Lee Brennan of English boy band 911 at the Radio One Roadshow in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK, on Wednesday, July 31, 1996. (Photo by Bryn Colton/Getty Images)
Simon Spike Dawburn, Jimmy Constable, and Lee Brennan of English boy band 911 at the Radio One Roadshow in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK, on Wednesday, July 31, 1996 (Bryn Colton/Getty Images)

The musician further revealed that they complied with the ‘Halo’ singer’s wishes. 

“And me and Jimmy were just stood there, doing the move because if Beyonce asked you, you did it!” revealed Spike. He added, “So when you watch Beyonce videos doing the booty shake I'm like 'Ah, she robbed it!' We did it first!”

While Spike claimed their dance moves apparently inspired Beyonce, the songwriter of ‘Bodyshakin’ John McLaughlin dished it was Spike and Jimmy’s eclectic dancing skills that inspired the song. 

Beyoncé performs onstage during the
Beyonce performs onstage during the Renaissance World Tour at MetLife Stadium on July 29, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood )

Speaking about the inspiration behind the song, McLaughlin shared, “Spike and Jimmy were fantastic dancers. It wasn't even dancing, it was acrobatics…”

“So I was like OK, let's give them a song that's a themed song,” added the songwriter before noting, “We wanted it to sound like a dance. A word that just sticks in your brain. When 'Bodyshakin' came, I thought ah that's it!”

More accusations against Beyonce of copying dance moves

While Spike playfully talks about Beyonce "robbing" their dance moves, this is not the first time that she has been accused of copying dance moves. 

Previously, when Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ came out in 2008, several fans pointed out the similarities between her moves to Gwen Verdon’s steps from Bob Fosse’s ‘Mexican Breakfast’. 

In 2017, Beyonce, however, acknowledged getting inspiration from ‘Mexican Breakfast’, when she appeared on ‘106 and Park’. 



 

The ‘Cuff It’ star shared, "I saw on YouTube—It's these three ladies, and one of them is Bob Fosse's wife, who's this choreographer, and they're doing 'Walk it Out.' ...It's one take, and it's black and white. I thought, 'Wow, how amazing would that be now?' The video has so many different cuts and different takes. Just to see a nonstop dance video, one take, all the way through," per Newsweek.



 

This resulted in her ‘Single Ladies’ which has since then become one of her iconic hits. 

In 2011 too, the songstress was accused of “plagiarism” when Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker claimed Beyonce used several of her dance moves for ‘Countdown’. 

De Keersmaeker spoke with a Danish blog where she claimed that she was not asked permission by Beyonce’s label to use the dance moves. 

She shared, “I didn't know anything about this. I'm not mad, but this is plagiarism.”

MORE STORIES

The post Khloe Kardashian liked featured Charlie Kirk speaking with a fan at an event about his devout Christian faith
Sep 13, 2025
Whitney Cummings sparked widespread outrage after posting a controversial tweet about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
Sep 13, 2025
Prince Harry was spotted entering King Charles’s London residence, months after saying his father had ignored his calls
Sep 11, 2025
Rosie O'Donnell said Ellen DeGeneres’ friendship denial hurt so much she printed T-shirts for her staff reading, 'I don’t know Rosie, we’re not friends'
Sep 10, 2025
A post alleged that Karoline Leavitt called Patti LaBelle 'just a singer,' leading LaBelle to deliver a seven-word response that froze the studio
Sep 10, 2025
Jennifer Lopez feels free channeling emotions into music, but Ben Affleck is embarrassed and sees it as crossing a line, according to the source
Sep 9, 2025
Howard Stern added that he missed last week’s show due to illness, not contract talks, and addressed rumors of being fired from his own show
Sep 9, 2025
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement in August 2025 triggered a wave of pregnancy chatter after an ultrasound photo went viral
Sep 9, 2025
Ed Sheeran, 34, revealed that he was leaving Suffolk with his wife Cherry Seaborn and their two daughters, Lyra and Jupiter
Sep 9, 2025
From Ice Spice’s chaotic corset to Paris Hilton’s flame dress, see the celebs who landed on the worst-dressed list at the 2025 VMAs
Sep 8, 2025