Clay Aiken’s New Boyfriend - Video, Photos & More
First, enjoy a little stage door home-movie action of Clay’s new boyfriend.
In the Dec. 22 issue of Star — on sale Wednesday — Star reports that along with his new baby and new life out of the closet, Clay Aiken, the former American Idol star has a new boyfriend to enjoy it with! The lucky fella? Broadway dancer Reed Kelly; also, previously known as “Mr. Starpower.” You can catch Reed, live and in person, as part of the current ensemble of Wicked, currently playing at the Gershwin.
“Everybody knows Reed as Clay’s guy,” a Broadway insider says of the Wicked dancer. “Clay met him when he was doing Spamalot in early 2008, and that’s one of the reasons he came back to the show again.”
They even appeared together at Rosie O’Donnell’s Building Dreams for Kids gala last month. “It was obvious they were a couple,” a partygoers says.
Here is a 2001 story about dancer Reed Kelly:
A Strong Reed
Versatility and passion will take Reed Kelly from the studio to stardom in no time.
By Sara Jarrett Issue: October 2001
Before Reed Kelly was twice-crowned Mr. Starpower (he won the title in both 1998 and 2000) and awarded Mr. West Coast Dance Explosion ’99, he was a left defenseman in the hockey rink. The transition was neither easy nor his choice, but without it, his passion for dance may have never been realized.
When he was permanently sidelined from the ice at the age of 12 because of a head injury, Kelly thought his life was over. He recovered, but the risk of permanent damage if hit the wrong way was too high and he was advised against playing contact sports ever again. In a place like Minnesota, “where everybody plays hockey,” including his older brother Ryan, the news was rough. But the isolation didn’t last long. After he’d moped around for a while, his mom suggested taking a class at Larkin Dance Studio. “I always liked music and I always had a lot of energy, so I decided to give it a try because I had nothing better to do,” he says.
In retrospect, Kelly says the injury was one of the most amazing gifts he’s been given. The experience also helped shaped his life philosophy: “I realized everything happens for a reason and that there is a plan for everything.”
It All Fell Into Place
The summer after the accident cinched his fate in dance. “I received a month-long scholarship to Joe Tremaine’s studio in L.A.,” Kelly explains. “I basically went from a hockey player to a dancer in that month.” The experience started a trend. Every summer since, he has traveled the country in pursuit of strengthened technique. The journey has taken him to summer intensives in New York City at Broadway Dance Center, Steps On Broadway, Juilliard and New York City Dance Alliance and Pacific Coast Dance Fest in Long Beach, CA, in addition to an average of four competitions a season.
Kelly credits his teachers at Larkin Dance Studio, known for its winning ways at competition, for getting him where he is today. “My first class ever was an all-boys jazz class,” he recalls. “I got there and I was like, ‘Wow, this rocks!’ It wasn’t anything like I expected. The Larkins must have seen that I had potential; they encouraged me and I stuck with it.” Kelly was performing for judges after only one year of study and was quickly bringing home awards. After graduating from high school this past spring, the 19-year-old attended American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive, with plans to enter Juilliard’s fall class.
Reed’s Stats Strengths: “I am relentless.”
Challenges: “I push myself too hard and I can be neurotic. I like to question myself.”
Technical Prowess: “I’m sort of a freak flexibility-wise. I can do anything you throw at me.”
Hobbies: Writing short stories, lyrics and poems; riding horses, being involved in politics; listening to music.Support System
By the time Kelly hit seventh grade, coming to watch his recitals every spring became “the cool thing to do,” among his friends. The immediate support he had from peers and family allowed him to focus from the beginning.
For a prom-night tribute to Sam Buell, a friend who passed away earlier this year, classmates urged Kelly to choreograph a piece to one of Sam’s favorite songs, “Angel” by Joeé. Though a little nervous, he was already taking his duet partner, Meghan Klemz, as his date and had been wanting to pursue his own choreography. The whole school was talking about it and getting really excited. He couldn’t say no.
In the middle of the prom, Kelly and Klemz changed out of their formal wear and into jazz pants and tanks. After the “two-minute, really hard-core, upbeat jazz piece,” the tux and dress went back on. “I go to a really big hockey school and after the performance, some of the hockey players wanted to take up dance. ‘Sign me up,’ they said. It was cool,” admits Kelly.
Dancing Fiend
This validation couldn’t have come at a better time for Kelly, who had just spent his senior year dancing nonstop—from 50 to 70 hours per week. Between a mentorship at Minnesota Dance Theater (for which he got school credit and was allowed to leave school at noon each day) and dancing at Larkin, one would assume Kelly didn’t have time for much else. But the most amazing part? His grades actually went up; he completed a six-year reign as class president (junior high and high school); he volunteered for his dad’s campaign for mayor of St. Paul (the election is next month) and he began teaching his own classes at Larkin. “I wouldn’t have changed anything at all,” Kelly says of the year. Next? “I want to get really good training. If I could land something really big, that would be great. I would like to do everything from ABT to music videos. I just want to dance.” ds
And, some photos of Reed for you to enjoy!
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