Any R&B/hip hop fan who’s a part of the ’40 and up club’ (give or take a few years), should have a very vivid memory of one of the dopest female dance groups of the 90’s era. They are the group, Str8 Ahead, better known as the Bell, Biv, DeVoe dancers.
Remember them? The four ladies are Tee, Nikita, Pluke, and Deborah and they played a major role in BBD’s initial success back in the day, because they were like a fixture in the group’s performance and brought that street-sexy appeal to Mike Bivens,’ Ricky Bell’s, and Ronnie DeVoe’s raw edge.
Their fashion choices were on point and combined with their signature ponytails and fire dance skills, that entire recipe made them some of the most relatable ’round-the-way-girls on TV at that time. They weren’t too prissy to break a sweat, they weren’t chumps in the dance department- they could run with and/or over the best of ’em- and they damn sure weren’t the type of girls Ronnie described in “Poison,” with his line -“She’s a winner to you, but I know she’s a loser/[How do you know?] Me and the crew used to do her.”
Str8 Ahead also influenced a lot of BBD fans’ dance routines and helped us kill it at our school dances and local nightclubs! C’mon now Old Schoolers, let’s not front like some of us weren’t standing in front of our TV sets watching “Video Soul,” “The Box,” “Yo MTV Raps,” etc., and trying to mimic every move the ladies did in “Poison,” LOL. Anywho, scroll down to check out the BBD dancers now and their interview…
The BBD dancers now…
