Kenny Ortega’s work as a director, choreographer, and producer is known and loved by millions around the world—The Quintessential Music Man. Variety Magazine’s “Billion Dollar Maestro” has touched every continent and inspired hundreds of artists to follow in his dance steps. Kenny moved into film and television from amassively successful music video career, working with artists like Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Miami Sound Machine, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, and The Pointer Sisters, to list a few. Kenny was also the artistic director and performer in the A&M Recording artist, The Tubes, who were pioneers of emerging musical rock and theater. As a director in film, television, theater, concerts, and special events, Kenny has had a career that spans five decades and has been the recipient of many awards, including three Emmy awards as a director and choreographer. In 2020, he was honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and received Disney’s highest accolade: the prestigious Disney Legends Award.
Kenny served as Michael Jackson’s creative partner and concert director/supervising choreographer for more than two decades. He has also worked with top artists including Oscar winners Barbra Streisand, Cher, Robert Duvall, Christian Bale, and a stable of internationally known artists that include Bette Midler, Hugh Jackman, Olivia Newton-John, Patrick Swayze, Mick Jagger, along with discovering Zac Efron and helming Disney’s High School Musical franchise—one of the most successful franchises in television history and the first Television Movie Soundtrack to hit #1 on the Billboard charts. High School Musical was the biggest box office opening in Hollywood motion picture history.
Kenny began his work in film and television as Gene Kelly’s protégé, studying under his masterful tutelage, where he learned Mr. Kelly’s art of designing choreography for the camera. Kenny’s first film directorial was directing and choreographing the Twist and Shout Parade Sequence for the motion picture, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Some of Kenny’s works throughout his long and illustrious career in film and television include the award-winning feature documentary “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” “Newsies,” “Hocus Pocus,” “Dirty Dancing,” two American Olympic Opening/Closing Ceremonies, a World Cup Ceremonies, and a number of Super Bowl Halftime Shows. Steve Wynn and WET Design also called upon Kenny to choreograph the iconic Las Vegas Bellagio Fountains for the world premiere opening of The Bellagio Hotel. The Fountains have become Las Vegas’ #1 destination and are hailed as the greatest public entertainment on the planet. Kenny’s Disney Channel franchise, Descendants, premiered to record numbers, and his Netflix series, Julie and The Phantoms, won 3 Emmys and premiered in the Top 10 on Netflix, with its soundtrack reaching #1 on iTunes in the first weeks of release.
Ortega has been the recipient of three Emmy Awards, two Directors Guild of America Awards, The Fred & Adele Astaire Lifetime Achievement Award, Bob Fosse Award, American Choreography Lifetime Achievement Award, MTV Video Music and Movie Award, American Music Award, Billboard Award, ALMA Award, Nosotros Golden Eagle Award, Imagen Creative Achievement Award, NAACP Award, Helpmann Award (Australia’s equivalent to the Tony) as well as a number of others.
He is currently living bicoastally, developing theatrical works in New York and Film and TV in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES 
