Kevin Stea

Kevin Alexander Stea, born October 17, 1969, is an American dancer, choreographer, actor, singer, director, and model. He has performed and choreographed alongside numerous prominent musical acts, including Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Michael Jackson, while also appearing in various feature films, television shows, and commercial projects.

Stea was born in Hollywood, California, and is of half-Caucasian and half-Chinese heritage. His father owned a Chinese restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles. During his youth, he lived across multiple states, including California, Michigan, Oregon, Wisconsin, and New Mexico. He completed his high school education as a boarder on a scholarship at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore, earning an International Baccalaureate Diploma. Stea later attended the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television before leaving to pursue a professional career in dance.

Having practiced gymnastics in his youth, Stea began dancing seriously during college. In 1990, he was hired as a dancer, assistant choreographer, and dance captain for Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour, appearing in the 1991 tour documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare. In January 1992, Stea and fellow dancers filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Boy Toy Inc, Miramax Films, and Propaganda Films, alleging fraud and invasion of privacy related to the documentary. The resulting legal dispute generated widespread international media attention, including talk show appearances by Stea, before ending with an undisclosed settlement in October 1994.

During the litigation, Stea established his professional dance and choreography career. He played Swifty The Rake in the Disney musical film Newsies, toured with Japanese pop star Seiko Matsuda, and performed with Michael Jackson during the MTV 10th Anniversary live performance of Will You Be There. He subsequently served as associate choreographer for Jackson's official music videos Black or White and Blood on the Dance Floor. Over his career, Stea contributed dance or choreography services to artists including Prince, Ricky Martin, Janet Jackson, George Michael, David Bowie, Celine Dion, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Cher, Christina Aguilera, and the Pussycat Dolls. In the mid-1990s, he also worked on Italian television programs such as Buona Domenica.

In addition to dance, Stea built a career in fashion modeling during the 1990s and beyond. He modeled for designers such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Fendi, Romeo Gigli, and Jean-Paul Gaultier, and worked on runway presentations for Gucci and Thierry Mugler. His modeling work appeared in spreads for Harper's Bazaar Italy, Cosmopolitan European Edition, and Fantasticsmag, as well as artistic photography projects with David LaChapelle. Under the stage name That Rogue Romeo, Stea released the album Machine & Magic in June 2012.

Stea's screen acting includes the role of Daryl in the 1995 film Showgirls, as well as dancer roles in films and series such as The Birdcage, Across the Universe, Charlie's Angels, Friends, Scrubs, and Rent. He has appeared in over 50 commercial advertisements, including spots for Gap, Old Navy, and Pepsi. Stea was later featured in the 2015 documentary Strike a Pose, which reunited dancers from the Blond Ambition Tour and premiered at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.