| Kenny Ortega | |
|---|---|
Ortega at This Is It launch in HMV London, February 22, 2010 |
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| Born | April 18, 1950 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television and film director, producer, choreographer |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Website | |
| Official site | |
Kenneth John "Kenny" Ortega (born April 18, 1950) is an American producer, director, and choreographer. He is known for directing the High School Musical trilogy and Michael Jackson's This Is It concert tour.[1]
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Ortega was born in Palo Alto, California, the son of Madeline, a waitress, and Octavio (Tibby) Ortega, a factory worker from Redwood City.[2] His grandparents were from Spain.[3] Initially known for working with dancer and choreographer Gene Kelly on the film Xanadu, Ortega went on to choreographing the dance for the Menudo video "Hold Me", as well as the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, and has won awards for choreography in music videos, such as Madonna's "Material Girl".
Ortega directed Billy Squier's "Rock Me Tonite" video, which is often cited as the worst music promo clip ever made and has been blamed by Squier for killing his career. Together with Michael Jackson, he created and designed the Dangerous World Tour 1992-1993 and the HIStory World Tour 1996-1997. He has also choreographed events ranging from Super Bowl XXX, the 72nd Academy Awards, the 1996 Summer Olympics (Atlanta) and the 2002 Winter Olympics (Salt Lake City).[4]
In addition, Ortega has directed and choreographed High School Musical, High School Musical 2, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, and was choreographer of the The Cheetah Girls 2.
In May 2009, Ortega began work on the scheduled Michael Jackson 50-date This Is It concert tour, which was cancelled subsequent to Jackson's sudden death.[5] He directed the concert film Michael Jackson's This Is It which was put together from rehearsal footage recorded at the Los Angeles Forum and the Staples Center. The film was released on October 28.
Ortega directed the Michael Jackson Public Memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which was broadcast live on several networks on July 7, 2009. It reached a television audience of 31 million in America, and more than 1 billion worldwide and via the internet.[6] At the end of the service, he introduced a rendition of Jackson's 1985 charity single "We Are the World" created for the This Is It concerts, featuring Jackson's backing singers on lead vocals with his dancers performing around them.
He was set to direct the 2011 Footloose remake, but dropped out in October 2009.[7] Ortega is now set to direct the upcoming movie adaptation of the Broadway musical In the Heights.[8]
On August 9, 2011, it was announced that Ortega will direct the remake of Dirty Dancing, which he choreographed in 1987. Lionsgate Films has yet to announce the release date. [9]
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Notes | ||
| 1980 | Xanadu | Choreographer | ||
| 1985 | St. Elmo's Fire | Choreographer | ||
| 1986 | Pretty in Pink | Choreographer | ||
| Ferris Bueller's Day Off | Choreographer | |||
| 1987 | Dirty Dancing | Choreographer | ||
| 1988 | Salsa | Choreographer | ||
| 1989 | Shag | Choreographer | ||
| 1992 | Newsies | Choreographer, Director | ||
| 1993 | Hocus Pocus | Director | ||
| 1995 | To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar | Choreographer | ||
| 1998 | Quest for Camelot | Choreographer | ||
| 2006 | High School Musical | Choreographer, Director | ||
| 2006 | The Cheetah Girls 2 | Choreographer, Director | ||
| 2007 | High School Musical 2 | Choreographer, Director | ||
| 2008 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year | Choreographer, Director | ||
| 2008 | Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert | Choreographer, Director | ||
| 2009 | Michael Jackson's This Is It | Choreographer, Director | ||
| 2011 | In the Heights | Director | ||
| 2013 | Dirty Dancing remake (pre-production) | Director | ||
| Television | ||||
| Year | Title | Notes | ||
| 1988 | Dirty Dancing | Director, 2 episodes | ||
| 1990 | Hull High | Choreographer, director, 2 episodes | ||
| 1996 | Second Noah | Director, 1 episode | ||
| 1998–1999 | Chicago Hope | Director, 2 episodes | ||
| 2000 | Resurrection Blvd. | Director, 1 episode | ||
| 2001 | Grounded for Life | Director, 1 episode | ||
| 2001 | Ally McBeal | Director, 3 episodes | ||
| 2002–2006 | Gilmore Girls | Director, 11 episodes | ||
| 2011 | Phineas and Ferb | Guest star, 1 episode | ||
| Concerts | ||||
| Year | Title | Notes | ||
| 1989–1990 | Cher's Heart of Stone Tour | Director | ||
| 1992–1993 | Michael Jackson's Dangerous World Tour | Director | ||
| 1996–1997 | Michael Jackson's HIStory World Tour" | Director | ||
| 2003-2004 | Gloria Estefan's Live & Unwrapped | Show Director and Choreographer | ||
| 2006-2007 | High School Musical: The Concert" | Director | ||
| 2007–2008 | Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Tour" | Director, Choreographer | ||
| 2009-2010 | Michael Jackson's This Is It Tour | Director | ||
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ALMA Award | Special Achievement Award – Outstanding Director[10][11] |
| 2009 | National Association of Latino Independent Producers | Outstanding Achievement Award[12] |
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