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This Is Kenny Ortega
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On a set of "This Is It"
The director of the Michael Jackson swan song documentary, “This is It”, has enjoyed a Forrest Gump-league ability to involve himself with some of the most notable moments in dance music history.
Getting his start with none other than Gene Kelly on the cult classic “Xanadu” (1980), Kenny Ortega went on to choreograph some of the most notable dance sequences captured on film in 1980s. Remember Duckie lip-syncing to “Try a Little Tenderness” in “Ferris Buehler’s Day Off” (1986)? Or who can forget Patrick Swayze’s moves as the wrong-side-of-the-track dance instructor in “Dirty Dancing” (1987)? Yes, Oretga also had a hand in Billy Squier’s appalling music video “Rock Me Tonite” but that’s all water under the MTV bridge today. At least, they showed music videos back then...
After leaving an indelible mark upon Gen X Reagan-era nostalgia, Ortega made an inauspicious directorial debut, “Newsies”, which swept the Razzies and lost Disney a ton of money. But he made up for that minor deviation in box office dominance by directing all three pictures in the "High School Musical" franchise.
Additionally, he has choreographed major events, including two world tours for Michael Jackson, the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards, and the Olympics. Most recently, he directed Jackson’s memorial service that was broadcast to millions around the world. At the end of the ceremony, Ortega introduced the rendition of “We Are The World” with a glowing tribute about his collaborator’s love for the planet and its inhabitants.
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