Kevin Stea
{{Short description|American dancer, choreographer, actor}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kevin Stea
| image = Kevin Stea red head shot.jpg
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|10|17}}
| birth_place = Hollywood, California, U.S.
| occupation = dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, director, model
}}
Kevin Alexander Stea (born October 17, 1969) is an American dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, director and model. He has worked as a dancer and choreographer with a number of high-profile artists, including Madonna, Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson, and has appeared in several movies and television shows.
Stea was an assistant choreographer and dance captain for Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour in 1990, and subsequently appeared in the 1991 documentary film Madonna: Truth or Dare.[http://amck.tv/artists2.php?aid=380&category=Choreographer Talent Portfolio: Kevin Stea], amck.tv. Retrieved August 24, 2008[http://sharetv.org/person/kevin_alexander_steaaid=380&category=Choreographer Bio Kevin Stea] Biography: associate choreographer, dance captain and dancer on Madonna's Blonde Ambition World Tour[http://www.danceplug.com/kevin-steaaid=380&category=DancePlug Professional Directory] associate choreographer, dance captain and dancer for Blond Ambition tour In January 1992, along with fellow dancers Oliver Crumes and Gabriel Trupin, Stea filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court against Madonna's production company Boy Toy Inc, Miramax Films and Propaganda Films, alleging fraud and invasion of privacy as a result of the documentary.[https://archive.today/20130121081919/http://articles.courant.com/1994-10-02/entertainment/9409300079_1_madonna-gabriel-trupin-oliver-crumesaid=380&category=Newspaper Hartford Courant] Dancers Settle Suit Against Madonna, October 2, 1994{{cite book|last=Negrón-Muntaner|first=Frances|title=Boricua pop: Puerto Ricans and the latinization of American culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3bbp-8X0U9YC&pg=PA152|accessdate=June 7, 2011|date=May 2004|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=978-0-8147-5818-2|page=152}}{{cite journal|author=Sussex Publishers, LLC|title=Spy|journal=Spy: The New York Monthly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bsf3-GfE_JoC&pg=PA16|accessdate=June 7, 2011|date=May 1992|publisher=Sussex Publishers, LLC|page=16|issn=0890-1759}}{{cite book|last=Taraborrelli|first=J. Randy|title=Madonna: An Intimate Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yj1PTnse9-gC&pg=PA219|accessdate=June 7, 2011|date=February 1, 2002|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-2880-0|page=219}}{{cite book|last=O'Brien|first=Lucy|title=Madonna: like an icon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jIU3AQAAIAAJ|accessdate=June 7, 2011|date=August 27, 2007|publisher=Bantam Press|isbn=978-0-593-05547-2|page=169}} Because of the international notoriety of Madonna, the suit became a pervasive media topic with Stea discussed in the news and appearing on talk shows such as Maury Povich.[http://www.ioffer.com/i/MADONNA-SEX-BOOK-1992-SNL-BARBRA-STREISAND-1991-DVD-176142363aid=380&category=Madonna Collection Index Maury Povich], Maury Povich shows pertaining to lawsuit part of a DVD collection about Madonna After more than two years of litigation, the suit was withdrawn in October 1994 and an undisclosed settlement was reached.[https://www.courant.com/1994/10/02/courant-football-top-10-watch-38/ Courant] Dancers Settle Suit Against Madonna, October 2, 1994
While the suit made its way through the courts, Stea went on to lay out a solid foundation for his professional career: appearing in the role of Swifty The Rake in the Disney musical Newsies, touring in the Glorious Revolution tour with Japanese pop-star Seiko Matsuda, and working with Michael Jackson by appearing in the iconic MTV 10th Anniversary live performance of Will You Be There 1991, and then going on to serve as the associate choreographer for the official videos Black or White and Blood on the Dance Floor.{{cite web |url=https://www.danceplug.com/kevin-stea |title=kevin stea {{!}} DancePlug |website=www.danceplug.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325042022/http://www.danceplug.com/kevin-stea |archive-date=2012-03-25}}
Early life
Kevin Stea was born in Hollywood, California, and is half-Caucasian and half-Chinese. His father owned a Chinese restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=http://www.asiancemagazine.com/2009/04/15/dancer-kevin-stea|title=Dancer Kevin Stea|publisher=Asiance Magazine.com|date=April 15, 2009|accessdate=February 16, 2010}} He grew up in various places in the United States (California; Marlette, Michigan; Eugene, Oregon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Santa Fe, New Mexico), and then completed his high school education in Singapore on a scholarship at the United World College of South East Asia, as a boarder, where he received the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Following that, he went on to the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, which he left to pursue a dance career.
Career
=Dancing and choreography=
A gymnast while in his youth, Stea began dancing seriously while he was at college. A year after his first dance job, he was hired by Madonna as a dance captain, dancer and assistant choreographer on her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. Stea appeared several times in the documentary Truth or Dare, which was made about the tour.{{cite book|title=The Film journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_nrAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=June 7, 2011|date=January 1, 1991|publisher=Pubsun Corp.}} Along with Oliver Crumes and Gabriel Trupin who appeared in the documentary, Stea sued Madonna in the Los Angeles Superior Court for fraud and invasion of privacy, claiming that she had lied about the film and that they were not paid for their appearance in it.{{cite journal| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bsf3-GfE_JoC&q=Kevin+Stea+reviews&pg=PA16| journal=Spy| date=May 1992| title=Madonna: It;s my Movie and I'll Lie If I Want To}}{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yj1PTnse9-gC&q=Kevin+Stea+reviews&pg=PA219| title=Madonna: An Intimate Biography| author=J. Randy Taraborrelli| publisher=Simon and Schuster| year= 2002| isbn=978-0-7432-2880-0| pages=219–220}} According to Stea, "Madonna told me she had a crush on me when we first started. And I thought she hated me.."{{cite book|title=Madonna, the Rolling stone files: the ultimate compendium of interviews, articles, facts, and opinions from the files of Rolling stone|url=https://archive.org/details/madonnarollingst00newyo|url-access=registration|accessdate=June 7, 2011|date=May 8, 1997|publisher=Hyperion|isbn=978-0-7868-8154-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/madonnarollingst00newyo/page/167 167]}} Leslie C. Dunn and Nancy A. Jones in their book Embodied Voices: Representing Female Vocality in Western Culture (1997) argue that Stea and the other two dancers viewed Madonna as a motherly figure, a "mommy dearest".{{cite book|last1=Dunn|first1=Leslie C.|last2=Jones|first2=Nancy A.|title=Embodied Voices: Representing Female Vocality in Western Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MTLaX91STz4C&pg=PA245|accessdate=June 7, 2011|date=January 13, 1997|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-58583-5|page=245}}
Subsequently, Stea danced and assisted with choreography for Michael Jackson.[https://archive.today/20120418225349/http://www.scpr.org/news/2009/06/26/local-dancer-remembers-what-it-was-working-king-po/ Southern California Public Radio Transcript-Kevin Stea Remembrance of Michael Jackson]. Retrieved June 11, 2011 He has also worked with numerous other high-profile music acts including Prince, Ricky Martin, Janet Jackson, George Michael, David Bowie, Celine Dion, Herb Alpert, Macy Gray, Anastacia, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Tony Bennett, will.i.am, Jane's Addiction, A. R. Rahman (India), Seiko Matsuda (Japan), and the Pussycat Dolls.{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/news-and-interviews/I-love-Indian-moves-Kevin-Stea/articleshow/5828348.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616074744/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-04-19/news-and-interviews/28146572_1_indian-dance-auditions-ar-rahman|url-status=live|archive-date=June 16, 2012|title=I love Indian moves: Kevin Stea|work=The Times of India|date=April 19, 2011|access-date=June 7, 2011}} In 2009, he danced in "The Question", by J.T. Horenstein at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre.{{cite news| url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/03/the-question-re.html| title=Review: 'The Question' makes dance out of ... a murder trial| date=March 10, 2009 |work=Los Angeles Times| author=Victoria Looseleaf}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.theatermania.com/los-angeles/news/03-2009/cast-set-for-the-question-at-ricardo-montalban-the_17836.html|title=Cast Set for the Question at Ricardo Montalban Theater | TheaterMania|date=March 2009 }}
In the mid-1990s, Stea worked in Italy, performing, singing and choreographing on a variety of television shows including Buona Domenica, Non Dimenticate Lo Spazzolino Da Denti and Carramba Che Sorpresa.[http://digilander.libero.it/AmbraAngiolini3/spazzolino.html Spazzolino da Denti], Ambra Angiolini Bio, choreographer Kevin Stea[http://ilcentro.gelocal.it/teramo/cronaca/2010/08/15/news/il-ballerino-kevin-stea-incide-a-sant-egidio-2261421 Buona Domenica, Carramba che Sorpressa], August 15, 2010 article, Tiramo section, Kevin Stea[http://www.savonanews.it/2007/05/30/mobile/leggi-notizia/articolo/savona-made-for-sport-collabora-con-donnavventura-2007.html Savona News: Made for Sport collabora con Donnavventura 2007], M4S Magazine, Kevin Stea guest attribution[http://www.amibike.it/index.php/amibike-collaborazioni/415-m4s-e-ami M4S Magazine Rimini Wellness article] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903225245/http://www.amibike.it/index.php/amibike-collaborazioni/415-m4s-e-ami |date=September 3, 2011 }}, M4S Magazine, May 18, 2008 article on Rimini Wellness with Kevin Stea
=Fashion modeling=
Also in the 1990s, Stea began working as a fashion model for such designers as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein in Los Angeles; Exte, Fendi, Nicola Trussardi and Romeo Gigli in Milan; and Jean-Paul Gaultier and Jose Levy in Paris. He also choreographed runway shows for Thierry Mugler in Los Angeles and appeared on the runway as a dancer for Gucci presentation in Los Angeles. He has also appeared in fashion spreads in high end magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar (Italy) and on the cover of the Cosmopolitan (magazine) European Edition.[http://www.kevinstea.com/photos/fasion-editorial-campaigns/ Cosmopolitan (Italy)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523003542/http://www.kevinstea.com/photos/fasion-editorial-campaigns/ |date=May 23, 2011 }}, Cosmopolitan cover and other fashion spreads. Kevin Stea His modeling work continued with a 2009 spread in Fantasticsmag and a runway stint for the Band of Outsiders line in Florence in June 2011.[http://www.fantasticsmag.com/stories/dance-dance-revolution Dance Dance Evolution, photo spread and article - Kevin Stea - Fashion Section], Sept. 2009 – FantasticsMag, Dance Dance Evolution, Interview by James N, Editor Derric Lowe[http://www.i-donline.com/article/band-outsiders Band of Outsiders line, show Pitti Palace, Florence, Italy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110620234812/http://www.i-donline.com/article/band-outsiders |date=June 20, 2011 }}, June 16, 2011 Westside Story Extravaganza for band of Outsiders line - i-D magazine
He also modeled in the works of fashion/artist photographers such as Peter Palladino, Herb Ritts, Robert Deutschman, Reggie Casagrande, Peggy Sirota, Dan Nix, Maurizio Montani and Andrea Marino.[http://www.malemodelretro.info/2009/11/greg-and-michiel-93.html Male Model, 1980 - 1995, a retrospective of photography] November 27, 2009, listing of commercial work by fashion photographer Herb Ritts: Kevin Stea (Madonna Dancer) Of particular note is his work on several projects with artist/photographer David LaChapelle. He modeled in LaChapelle's homage to Bruce Lee and Chinese Pop Culture, part of the “Raft” exhibition that opened in Hong Kong in May 2011 at de Sarthe Fine Art.[http://www.kevinstea.com/2011/05/28/on-set-with-kevin-for-david-lachapelle On-the-set work with photographer David LaChapelle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928214726/http://www.kevinstea.com/2011/05/28/on-set-with-kevin-for-david-lachapelle/ |date=September 28, 2011 }} 2010, Composition tribute to Chinese Pop Culture and Bruce Lee... Kevin Stea, model
He also sings and performs under the name That Rogue Romeo and released the album "Machine & Magic" on June 4, 2012, at the Ripples club in Long Beach, California.[http://www.musicconnection.com/digital/ Music Connections Magazine - July Issue O7 - Mixed Notes Section, Page 35] Kevin Stea Releases Machine & Magic[http://california.official-city.com/that-rogue-romeo-city-of-glass-at-long-beach-gay-pride/ California Official City News: That Rogue Romeo] That Rogue Romeo performance at California News, Official City, Long Beach – City of Glass at Long Beach Gay Pride April 14, 2011
=Acting and commercials=
In 1995, he starred as Daryl in Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls, a film which was a major flop and often considered one of the worst films ever made but which began to develop a cult following in 2006.{{cite book|last=Parish|first=James Robert|title=Fiasco: a history of Hollywood's iconic flops|url=https://archive.org/details/fiascohistoryofh00pari|url-access=registration|accessdate=June 7, 2011|date=January 11, 2006|publisher=Wiley|isbn=978-0-471-69159-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/fiascohistoryofh00pari/page/324 324]}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/showgirls-takes-cult-classic-article-1.575728|title = 'Showgirls' Takes off as Cult Classic|website = New York Daily News| date=January 19, 2006 }} Stea has appeared in numerous movies and television series, mainly in dancer roles, including Newsies, Melrose Place, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Showgirls, The Birdcage, Across the Universe, Fired Up,{{cite book|last=Willis|first=John|title=Screen World 1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kc4zAQAAIAAJ|accessdate=June 7, 2011|date=May 29, 1998|publisher=Applause|isbn=978-1-55783-321-1}} Charlie's Angels, Friends, Austin Powers in Goldmember,{{cite book|last=Willis|first=John A.|title=Screen world|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3tZkAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=June 7, 2011|year=2003|publisher=Crown Publishers|page=86}} 13 Going on 30,{{cite book|last=Willis|first=John A.|title=Screen world|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wddkAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=June 7, 2011|year=2006|publisher=Crown Publishers|page=66}} Rent, Scrubs, Dancing with the Stars, Rumor Has It... and Naked Boys Singing. He has appeared in over 50 commercials, most notably for Gap, Old Navy and Pepsi.{{cite web|url=http://www.kevinstea.com/|title=Kevin Stea|publisher=Kevinstea.com|accessdate= August 24, 2008}}
Mr. Stea is featured in the 2015 documentary Strike a Pose directed by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan. The film was partially financed by the International Documentary Film Festival Forum Award, Amsterdam, and was produced by CTM Docs and The Other Room in coproduction with Serendipity Films and NTR.{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/madonnas-blonde-ambition-dancers-tell-their-own-stories-in-new-documentary-strike-a-pose-20160121 |title=Madonna's 'Blonde Ambition' Dancers Tell Their Own Storie | Shadow and Act |access-date=February 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507202252/http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/madonnas-blonde-ambition-dancers-tell-their-own-stories-in-new-documentary-strike-a-pose-20160121 |archive-date=May 7, 2016 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.berlinale.de/external/de/filmarchiv/doku_pdf/201609488.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 4, 2016 |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611005638/https://www.berlinale.de/external/de/filmarchiv/doku_pdf/201609488.pdf |url-status=dead }} The documentary follows the lives of Madonna’s Blond Ambition dancers twenty-five years later; the dancers sharing their own stories about life during and after the famed 1990 tour.
The film premiered at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival where it received the second place Panorama audience award for a documentary.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/02/berlin-film-festival-2016-winners-full-list-1201706424/|title=Berlin Film Festival Winners: Refugee Doc 'Fire at Sea' Takes Golden Bear|date=February 20, 2016}} The film went on to have its American premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, the Latin American premiere at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema BAFICI, and premiered April 28 at the largest documentary festival in the world: Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. The film has received favorable reviews in important journals worldwide, including: The New York Times, 4/14/2016,[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/14/arts/music/revisiting-dancers-in-madonnas-truth-or-dare.html?_r=0] The New York Times - April 14, 2016 - Dancer’s in Madonna’s Truth or Dare Had Truths or Their Own The Independent (UK) 2/9/2016,{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/madonnas-blond-ambition-dancers-new-film-strike-a-pose-reveals-what-happened-to-them-a6863716.html|title=New film reveals what happened to Madonna's Blond Ambition dancers|website=Independent.co.uk|date=February 10, 2016}} The Huffington Post (US) 2/17/2016,[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/e-nina-rothe/strike-a-pose-thanking-ma_b_9514860.html] The Huffington Post - March 25, 2016 - Strike a Pose: Thanking Madonna, 25 Years Later, for Releasing the Truth Deutsche Welle (Germany) 2/19/2016,{{Cite web|url=http://www.dw.com/en/on-tour-music-films-at-the-berlinale/a-19053367|title = On tour - Music Films at the Berlinale | DW | 21.02.2016|website = Deutsche Welle}} The Village Voice, New York,[http://www.villagevoice.com/film/the-best-of-tribeca-the-movies-not-to-miss-at-a-fest-coming-into-its-own-8502028] The Village Voice- April 12, 2016 - The Best of Tribeca: The Movies Not to Miss at a Fest Coming Into Its Own i-D Magazine (US/UK) 2/19/2016,{{Cite web|url=https://i-d.co/article/strike-a-pose-a-homage-to-madonnas-blonde-ambition-dancers/|title='strike a pose': A homage to madonna's blonde ambition dancers|date=February 19, 2016}} Toronto Star, 5/3/2016,[https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2016/05/03/strike-a-pose-madonnas-dancers-remember-touring-with-madge.html] Toronto Star - May 3, 2016 - Strike a Pose: Madonna’s dancers remember touring with Madge Arte TV (France/Belgium),{{Cite web |url=http://tracks.arte.tv/fr/strike-pose-madonna-uncovered |title=Strike a Pose! – Madonna uncovered | Tracks ARTE |access-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-date=June 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621195837/http://tracks.arte.tv/fr/strike-pose-madonna-uncovered |url-status=dead }} The Playlist (IndieWire.com) 2/21/2016,{{cite web |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/berlin-review-moving-documentary-strike-a-pose-catches-up-with-madonnas-blond-ambition-dancers-20160221 |title=Berlin Review: Moving Documentary 'Strike A Pose' Catches {{!}} The Playlist |website=blogs.indiewire.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222091431/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/berlin-review-moving-documentary-strike-a-pose-catches-up-with-madonnas-blond-ambition-dancers-20160221 |archive-date=2016-02-22}} The Hollywood Reporter (Hollywood) 2/21/2016,{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/berlin-film-festival-photos-2016-865496/21-strike-a-pose|title = THR's Portraits at Berlin: Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Logan Lerman and More|website = The Hollywood Reporter|date = February 15, 2016}} Die Welt (Berlin) 2/21/2016,{{Cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/print/wams/lifestyle/article152460896/Madonnas-verlorene-Soehne.html|title = Madonnas verlorene Söhne|newspaper = Die Welt|date = February 21, 2016|last1 = Blümner|first1 = Heike}} Rolling Stone (German edition) 2/19/2016,{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.de/berlinale-tagebuch-happy-birthday-lieber-teddy-award-4-filme-die-man-sehen-sollte-961529/|title=Teddy-Award: 4 Filme, die man sehen sollte|date=February 19, 2016}} Vibe (magazine), Hollywood, 5/2/3016,[http://www.vibe.com/2016/05/strike-a-pose-interview-with-madonna-dancers/] Vibe Magazine - May 2, 2016 - By Richy Roasario - Strike A Pose: Madonna’s “Vogue” Dancers Recall Blond Ambition Tour & Gay Life in the ‘90s GoWithTheVlo (Netherlands) 2/15/2016,{{Cite web|url=http://gowiththevlo.nl/strike-a-pose-madonnas-dansers-vertellen-alles/|title = Strike a pose! Madonna's dansers vertellen álles|date = February 11, 2016}} People (magazine), Hollywood 4/13/2016 [http://www.people.com/article/madonna-blond-ambition-strike-a-pose-backup-dancers-strike-a-pose-movie-where-are-they-now/] People Magazine - April 13, 2016 - The Crazy True Story of Madonna's Truth or Dare Back Up Dancers (and Where They Are Now) and again in People (magazine), Hollywood, 4/15/2016 [http://www.people.com/article/madonna-dancers-truth-or-dare-remember-famous-gay-kiss/] People Magazine - April 15, 2016 - Madonna's Dancers Look Back on That Iconic Same-Sex Kiss in Truth or Dare and El Mundo 2/17/2016.{{Cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/cultura/2016/02/16/56c302d422601d0a128b45cc.html|title = ¿Qué fue de los 'madonnos'?|date = February 16, 2016}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.kevinstea.com}}
- [http://www.thatrogueromeo.com/ That Rogue Romeo]
- {{IMDb name|0824084}}
- [http://www.myspace.com/kevinstea Kevin Stea] at MySpace
- [http://www.facebook.com/KStea Kevin Stea] at Facebook
- [http://www.facebook.com/ThatRogueRomeo That Rogue Romeo] at Facebook
- [https://plus.google.com/u/1/+kevinstea1/posts Kevin Stea at Google+]
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stea, Kevin}}
Category:American male dancers
Category:American choreographers
Category:Male actors from Los Angeles
Category:People from Hollywood, Los Angeles
Category:American people of Chinese descent
Category:American LGBTQ male actors
Category:American LGBTQ dancers
Category:American LGBTQ models