Popular dance group Shady Squad says that their group name has not been changed. According to group member Andrew ‘John John’ Higgins, fans and business associates have been questioning whether their name had been changed to Anonymous Squad.

“We have been getting calls from fans and international business personnel who are questioning whether our group’s name has changed or not and we would like to clear up the misconception,” he said.

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According to the dancer, the group competed under the moniker Anonymous Squad at the World Reggae dance competition hosted by the JCDC.

They were crowned winners, and since then, some of their fans have held the view that the group had changed its name.

“We are the same Shady Squad. our name has not been changed and we don’t plan on changing it any time soon. The only reason we called ourselves Anonymous Squad is because we wanted to enter the competition as underdogs. The name Shady Squad is already established and we didn’t want patrons to think that we had an unfair advantage,” he said.

John John says after winning the competition in 2010, they were scheduled to defend the world title this year under the Anonymous moniker.

This further confused the fans, which now saw them using the ‘Anonymous’ name two successive years.

“JCDC always announce us as Anonymous dancers, and because of that, most people think that it’s the group’s real name. many either don’t realise that it’s Shady Squad or have the belief that we changed from the original,” he said.

The World Reggae dance Champions said they didn’t regret using another name for competition purposes because it’s good for business.

Protection

According to the group, when they perform under another name it protects the brand Shady Squad which is an international group.

“If you have a certain level of respect and you enter regular competitions using the name (Shady Squad), it can do more harm to the brand than good, so that’s why we separate Shady Squad from Anonymous Squad for certain competitions,” John John said.

The group now has eyes set on the international dance show America’s Best Dance Crew.

Shady Squad says that they are looking to be the first Caribbean crew to win the coveted title if they are selected to be part of the internationally acclaimed competition.

The group was featured in Rihanna’s Man Down video, and are due to appear in French film Dancehall Battle which is soon to be released.

Shady Squad has five members Andrew Higgings, Matthew Richards, Conroy Richards, Courtney Brown and Garfield Hines.

They have been performing together for seven years and are currently taking a professional approach under the guidance of Solid Agency’s Sharon Burke and Marlon Burke.

Source: jamaica-star