By
GREGORY TRUJILLO
IT
HAD never been done before--putting martial arts on ice.
But a Trinidadian stuntman/ kung fu expert/ choreographer/
actor, David D Stevenson did it and clinched the top spot
for Elvis Stojko at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships
in Edmonton.
Then Stojko went on to win the silver
medal at the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway last
year with the Stevenson--designed routine.
David Stevenson, who migrated to Canada
25 years ago, kicked off a new career when he choreographed
the routine for Stojko. And it blew everyone's minds.
Stevenson is one of the first black
men to break into TV commercials in Canada, with the Snack
Bar commercial among others.
"I made history by putting skating and
martial arts together and it has been the highlight of
my career so far," explained Stevenson, who is home after
14 years on what he has described as " a mini-vacation".
Everything fell in place accidentally
he says."I was contracted to train Canadian champion Elvis
Stojko for biking and martial arts seg ments in the; upcoming
TV special, Elvis Air borne; and was asked to stay on
and add some punch to the skater's competitive routine.
"I choreographer the routine that
clinched the top spot for Elvis."
An accomplished actor, stuntman, martial
artist, choregrapher, dancer and music producer this native
of Trinidad and Tabago has worked with the best kung-fu
experts in the business ? Bolo Young, Jackie Chan, Jet
Lee and Eric Lee.
His next move is going to Kenya to shoot
a martial arts movie later this year.
"But my main goal is basically
to do my own movies....... directing, writing and producing."
The kung-fu boogie-man who got Elvis
Airborne has appeared in numerous films, including Cool
Runnings as a stuntman, Tiger Claws (actor-martial artist),
Running (actor), Talons of the Eagle (stuntman-actor)
and Death Bite (actor).
|
His curriculum vitae also includes:
TELEVISION:
Elvis Airborne(CFTO), stunt coordinator.
Knightwatch (ABC),
actor/stuntman.
Night Heat (CFTO), actor/martial artist.
In Motion (1st Choice), dancer.
Canada Festival (CBC),
dancer.
Sounds Good (CBC), dancer.
Juno Awards (CBC),
dancer.
Class of "96 (Fox), actor/stuntman.
Kung Fu (Fox),
actor/stuntman. Road To Avonlea (CBC), actor.
Matrix,
(actor, Secret Service, actor).
STAGE:
The Runaways, principal
dancer.
Flying, dancer.
Phil Blacks, dancer.
Alvin Hally
Dance Co., dancer.
Len Gibson Dance Co., dancer.
CHOREOGRAPHY:
Elvis Stjoko long Programme 1994 Winter Olympics.
Tiger
Claws
Talons of the Eagle
Action Sequence Video
COMMERCIAL:
Snack Bars
Bank of Nova Scotia
Canadian Fitness
INDUSTRIAL:
O'Keefe Centre, musician
St. Christopher House, musician
Boy's Club, musician/model
Expose Fashion Show, choregrapher
Canadian Fitness Week dancer/aerobics
Channel 47 Grand
Opening, dancer.
MUSIC:
Producing music for films and
artist leader of own musical production for over 10 years.
INTEREST:
Jazz, martial arts, sports and movies.
Stevenson
said that the movie industry has been his main money earner
and that for the four months he worked in Jamaica and
Canada shooting Cool Runnings.
The six foot, three inch talented local
who weighs 190 pounds left here with his family - mother,
father and brother and sister (not in showbiz). They lived
at Bisessar Street in El Socorro, where he was born.
|
STEVENSON
worked with kung-fu expert/actor Bolo Young in Double
Impact. |
DAVID
STEVENSON (front) who did the stunts in the film "Cool
Runnings" |
His father Donald, a former fireman, is a musician and has written music for many top calypsonians including Calypso Rose, and more recently Crazy.
His mother is a writer.
Ambitious Stevenson is a humble individual who was forced
to learn the art of kung-fu to protect himself.
"When I first started school in Canada at the age
of ten, I was the only black person in the class and they
were always picking on me and calling me names.
"You've got to confront these guys I told myself
and my mother got me into a boxing class. It was while
I was boxing I started to instinctively using my feet, so
I switched to karate. It changed my life and has been
the guiding light in my career.
As many other Trinidadians who have migrated, Stevenson
stuck to his roots and has been a very versatile panman,
playing six-bass for Afro Pan steelband, which has won
the competition in Canada each time they participated.
A third-degree martial arts, he has travelled to China
to further his kung fu skills. Up at four he meditates
then works out with a two-mile run (minimum), followed
by stretches and martial arts practise. In the afternoons
he pumps iron followed by more stretches.
"I'm big on flexibility and strength as they are
important in everyday life," says Stevenson. His
diet consists of loads of vegetables and fruits, with
some chicken and seafood, but no red meat.
Stevenson got into showbiz by sheer coincidence.
"I was dancing my John Travolta. We were into Soul
Train, platform shoes and suspenders. I was a big kid
(six foot) at 15.
And I would sneak into Le Croq D'Or club to dance with
the girls. I started hanging out with seven other guys
on the show, trying to outBoogie each other, making rounds
of the dance clubs.
"I figured, why not put a band together. So we did,
called it the Soul Express and I played the guitar.
"One day producer Vlad Handara approached me and I told him that he |
me and I told him that he was using the wrong music on
the show. He was playing rock `n' roll, not dance music.
So he asked me to help choose the music and get dancers.
We had guys on each week that would open and close the show with a routine. We weren't
paid at the time as we were excited to be on Soul Train
on TV.
" The band split up after ten years and Stevenson
went to New York to study with Alvin Bailey. Then back
to Canada.
Stevenson's versatility in karate and dancing led him
to work as a stuntman and a choreographer of fight sequences
in movies.
He was the front stuntman in the four-man bobsled in Cool
Runnings.
Stevenson claims that he couldn't wait to get to Trinidad.
"I came for cassava, yam and dumping.
"Trinidad is a great place. I have travelled all
over the world and I have never seen people so helpful
and friendly. I believe once you give off a positive vibe
there will be no negatives.
"We have beautiful sceneries in Trinidad and Tobago
and we need to get the movie industry down here. They
have been shooting a lot of movies in Jamaica. So why
not here?"
Before coming to Trinidad he worked on choreographing
fight sequences in 9 episodes of a TV series called TekWar
with William Shatner of Star Trek fame.
He has been working as a consultant for the past two years
with a Los Angeles-based martial arts production company
called New Dawn. He works specifically with martial artists
and martial arts action sequences in movies.
When not living the hectic life in the movie industry,
Stevenson works
with young offenders at a company called Toronto Group
Homes, counselling the young.
"I am hoping to provide a positive image," he
said."Young people today are missing the spiritual
element in their lives and the family connections."
In spite of all the success in his life, Stevenson still
holds fast to one dominant idea: "Always put God
first!"
It works for him.
|
|
