10 Interesting Facts About Ding Dong

1. ‘Ding Dong’ is not his real name.
You probably already knew that. What you may not know is that his real name is actually Kemar Christopher Dwaine Ottey

2. He’s had the nickname since early childhood.
He was given the nickname by his father as a young child. Ding Dong’s father was a community leader, often referred to as “Alla Ding”, who unfortunately passed when he was just three years old.

3. He was born at Jubilee Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica.
On September 29, 1980, Ding Dong was born to Denise Bennett and Ferdinand Ottey. He grew up in the community of Nannyville, where he was raised by his aunt and grandmother.

4. Football is his first true love.
Ding Dong wasn’t always the reggae dance force to be reckoned with like he is today. Before he ever got into the world of dance and reggae, he passionately pursued football. In fact, it wasn’t until he got his first big break that he decided to put down the pig skin and pursue dance solely.

5. He created the dance group, Ravers Clavers.
Back in 2005, Ding Dong and a group of friends formed the dance crew in Kingston, Jamaica. The crew is very family oriented and there’s no audition to join. The only thing required of new members is to become part of the family… and obviously, dancing ability.

6. He was the host of the film It’s All About Dancing: A Jamaican Dance-U-Mentary.
Directed by Jason “Jay Will” Williams in 2006, this documentary dives into the history, style, and culture of Jamaican dancehall through the eyes of its dancers, DJs, selectors and artists. Comprised of candid interviews and how-to dance sequences aimed to teach, no wonder it was so highly rated on IMDb (8.6/10)!

7. He is the #1 dancer in Jamaica
Jamaica’s reigning #1 dancer before him, late great legendary Mr Wacky (Bogle), was a huge inspiration for Ding Dong. According to him, “Bogle was my Michael Jackson and James Brown”.

8. He’s a handy handy-man!
The artiste actually worked in construction before making it big in the dancehall scene. His skills were so superior that his boss at the time encouraged him to get a certification. Fortunately, for us and the rest of his fans, he didn’t.

9. Ding Dong, AKA “Mr. BadMan Forward”
We all know how the famous record goes, “Badman forward badman pull up!” After meeting DJ and dancehall artiste, Tony Matterhorn, the dancer decided to make the transition to music. Fans loved the single and its catchy dance moves and it dominated the charts in 2005-2006… and this was Ding Dong’s first single ever!

10. He is the creator of over a dozen signature dance moves.
What else would you expect from the #1 dancer in Jamaica? Some of his most famous moves include: Bad Man Forward, Part The Crowd, Swing Song, Badda Dance, and many, MANY more.