Kenny Ortega

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Kenny Ortega (2010)

Kenny Ortega (born April 18, 1950 in Palo Alto , California ) is an American choreographer , producer and director.

Career

Kenny Ortega began his career as an actor in musicals . In the late 1970s he worked for the stage shows for the rock band The Tubes . He was discovered as a choreographer on this occasion by the singer Cher , who hired him for one of her television shows. He came to film as an assistant choreographer for the film musical Xanadu (1980). He eventually became known as the choreographer of films such as Pretty in Pink (1986) and Dirty Dancing (1987), as well as a dance video for Madonna. 1992 brought Kenny Ortega, along with Michael Jackson the Dangerous World Tour on stage. In 1997 there was another collaboration with Michael Jackson for the "History Tour". For the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City , he was awarded an Emmy for both directing and choreography. He received another Emmy for the choreography of the film High School Musical (2006), which he also directed. He has also directed twelve episodes of the Gilmore Girls television series . He now lives in California with his wife Caroline and daughter Hannah. In 2009 he worked again with Michael Jackson on his planned tour, which did not take place because of Michael Jackson's death. However, over 100 hours of footage from rehearsals for Michael Jackson's This Is It was used for a documentary directed by Ortega and which found its way into cinemas worldwide for two weeks on October 28, 2009. In 2016 he directed The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again, a remake of the 1975 movie of the same name .

Filmography (selection)

choreography

Director

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Ortega, Kenny
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American choreographer
DATE OF BIRTH April 18, 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Palo Alto , California, United States