Kenny Ortega is an American producer, director, and choreographer known for directing the High School Musical series and Michael Jackson's "This Is It" tour. He was born in 1950 in Palo Alto, California and got his start choreographing for films like Xanadu and Dirty Dancing. Ortega went on to direct music videos and tours for Michael Jackson, as well as films like Newsies, Hocus Pocus, and the High School Musical trilogy. He has won awards for his choreography and directing work.