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F  L  E  X DEE IVA

Dee Iva was a founding member of British dance duo Flex who performed in London nightclubs in the early 1980s. The original lineup was made up of two boys and one girl who took a portable stereo on to the streets of London and choreographed dance routines to an eclectic soundtrack. Tracey Mayall (the daughter of blues legend John Mayall) was flanked by Dee and Fritz, the two boys who became widely known for their skilful robotic dancing. In this incarnation the troupe were known as Sketch. Renaming themselves Flex after Tracey left, Dee and Fritz went on to work with eighties artists like Eurythmics, Paul Young and Bananarama and eventually guested with Top Of The Pops last ever dance troupe, Zoo .. Dee Iva disbanded the dance duo in 1983 and Flex was relaunched as an electro pop band consisting of Dee Iva (vocals, keyboards) and Nik Corfield (guitar, keyboards). Quickly becoming a regular fixture on the London club circuit, their brand of sinister electro was inspired by the darker side of pop music. Thundering drum machines, searing guitar riffs and atonal vocals combined with explosive visuals to deliver a band perfectly in step with the mood and melodrama of the mid eighties. In 1984 they renamed themselves Risqué and became a three piece with drummer Andy Belluso, an aspiring photographer. Despite numerous appearances at venues such as The Embassy and The Hippodrome, Risqué called it a day in 1985. 1986 saw Dee enlist Private Viewing's bass player Mark Reeves to form Diva, a cleaner and less gloomy duo whose melodic sound and dance driven beats produced a heady mix of pacey techno and introspective love songs. This led to performances with artists such as Bronski Beat, Divine  and Jayne County. Dee Iva is now an art director and stylist working across the UK magazine and design industry.