Shaking the perspiration from her cascading tresses, Terisa Griffin saunters over to a table of businessmen. Gripping the microphone between her petite, manicured fingers, she throws her head back and belts the last notes of a ballad. One of the men wipes his brow and nods to his tablemates. A sudden burst of energy takes over Griffin and she bellows out the final note, mesmerizing everyone in the room. Before she can finish, everyone's on their feet, clapping and screaming. Griffin takes a bow.

This is the scene twice a month at Green Dolphin Street on North Ashland Avenue, where Griffin regularly performs classic rhythm and blues, soul and funk, and is setting the standard for a new breed of chanteuse.

She and other local club favorites have reached the point of divadom with their fierce wardrobes, dramatic stage presences and wide vocal range. And their uniqueness has created a new category of singer, the "dance club diva."

What particularly sets the dance club diva apart from the others is usually her panache and boldness. Because she's in a nightclub setting--generally an "anything goes" atmosphere--she has the freedom to do whatever she wants.

On one recent evening, Griffin recruited a trio of women from the audience, choreographed some impromptu dance steps and transformed them into her backup singers. The women moved and crooned in time to Griffin's directions while applause and laughter erupted from the spectators. She played with her band as well, teasingly conducting the players to "bring it down" or "play it right" for her, threatening to withdraw their pay if they didn't acquiesce to her demands.

She was fierce and gentle simultaneously, conjuring visions of Aretha, Diana and Madonna.

Griffin admits to being something of a vestige from a musical time gone by, and though her classic song stylings set her apart from the current breed of hip-hop soul performers, she is still accustomed to capacity crowds.

Covers of ballads from Marvin Gaye and Luther Vandross temper the up-tempo dance numbers of disco divas such as Cheryl Lynn and Gloria Gaynor that Griffin likes to perform when she approaches her finale. "I like to interact with the people, get them involved and give them the fun they want," she said.

As Griffin can probably attest, breaking into the spotlight is no small task, but local divas are routinely finding themselves in that very place. Take native Chicagoan Dajae.

After 10 years of leading a cover band and singing backup for acts like Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Dajae has a permanent place in the spotlight of the dance music community. As an artist with indie dance music giant Cajual Records, Dajae regularly tours Europe and North America, performing her original singles "Brighter Days," "U Got Me Up" and "Is It All Over My Face." Her first album, "Higher Power" (1996), garnered an ASCAP songwriting award for "Day By Day." The album is best described as a collaboration of dance, R&B, house and soul music. A new album is in progress.

Other rising local divas include:

- Joi Cardwell of Eightball Records (New York). A native New Yorker, Cardwell has strong ties to Chicago because of her collaborations with deejay-producer Lil' Louis, who moved from Chicago to New York during the earlier portion of her career.

With more than a dozen club hits to her credit, vocalist-producer-songwriter Cardwell enjoyed a critically acclaimed album and chart success with singles "Trouble" and "You Got To Pray." Her latest Eightball effort, "Run To You," may be the one that puts her over the top. While in Chicago, Cardwell works the stages of Green Dolphin Street, Shelter and House of Blues, among others.

- Shawn Christopher of Rama Records (Chicago). This veteran performer has seen pop hits with "Another Sleepless Night" and "A Night For Love." Christopher has graced many Chicago stages, but most recently headlined at House of Blues.

- Dominique of Deep Blue Records (New York). A local club personality who hit the commercial pop market with the song "Higher," heard currently in rotation on B-96 (WBBM-FM 96.3). Her duo, Audio Cult, regularly appears at nightclubs Excalibur, Convent and Fusion in addition to B-96-sponsored events.

- Barbara Douglas of Rama Records (Chicago). Douglas recently established herself with her Rama club anthem "Shake," as well as with a standout performance at Chicago's House of Blues during the recent Billboard Dance Music Summit.

- Pam Fernandez, lead singer of Rhythm City (Chicago). Fernandez's range is so wide that she has been compared to Chaka Kahn, Aretha Franklin and Sade. With her tight R&B band Rhythm City, she sings everything from sophisticated Motown to soulful rock and reggae to irresistible '70s dance grooves. Solo, Fernandez has entertained throughout the country and Europe, touring as emcee and vocal soloist for the Ebony Fashion Fair tour. Local clubs include P.J. Flaherty's, Reilly's Daughter, Synergy and Hidden Shamrock.

- Shay Jones of Maxi Records (New York). A Chicago legend, Jones got her start as a backup singer for many famous bands. Her latest Maxi releases, "Only You" and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," are available in specialty record stores. Jones often can be found performing around the Chicago nightclub circuit.

- Tanya Waters of AM:PM Records (New York). Another ASCAP winner for songwriting, Waters' work with Love Tribe on the single "Stand Up" gave her a Billboard No. 1 club hit in 1996. Waters performs monthly in New York and locally at venues such as Shelter and Fusion.