Kenneth John Ortega ( or-TAY-gə; born April 18, 1950) is an American director, producer, choreographer, and concert creator. He is best known for his work with Disney Channel, notably the High School Musical film trilogy, cult classics such as Newsies… Kenneth John Ortega ( or-TAY-gə; born April 18, 1950) is an American director, producer, choreographer, and concert creator. He is best known for his work with Disney Channel, notably the High School Musical film trilogy, cult classics such as Newsies and Hocus Pocus, The Cheetah Girls 2, and the first three Descendants films. In 2019, he signed a five year deal with Netflix, producing the original series Julie and the Phantoms, which was cancelled after only one season. He has also choreographed multiple iconic 1980s films such as Xanadu, One from the Heart, St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Dirty Dancing. Ortega has worked on multiple music videos and produced concert tours for the likes of Kiss, Olivia Newton-John, Cher, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, and Michael Jackson, notably the cancelled This is It concert residency. He also wrote, directed, and produced Jackson's posthumous documentary film, Michael Jackson's This Is It. For his work, Ortega was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Disney Legend Award in 2019.
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