Exclusive interview with the man responsible for choreographing and directing the world’s most popular fillm. After three weeks of release ‘This Is It’ has grossed hundreds of millions of dollars. 

With a resume that already included “Dirty Dancing,” Ortega met Michael Jackson over 25 years ago and choreographed Jackson’s HIStory and Dangerous World Tour spectacular. Most recently he is most known for “Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds” and as the brains behind the High School Musical franchise and director of the “Footlose” remake.  

Ortega called Jackson “the greatest entertainer of our generation,” adding he jumped at the chance to work with the King of Pop again, explaining, “When asked to work on the shows my answer without a beat was nothing could keep me away.”

Jackson was to perform 50 shows at London’s O2 Arena, beginning in July and he had selected 10 dancers from extensive Los Angeles auditions to join him onstage. “He was a creative mastermind and inspired every one of us to climb to new places and conquer new challenges. He was the most significant artist and entertainer of our generation,” Ortega said.

According to AEG’s CEO Randy Phillips: “The stage set, choreography, costumes, lighting, effects and overall production were to be of the highest standard and pushing state-of-the-art. It was going to be the biggest, most technologically advanced arena show — and the most expensive — ever mounted.”The show had a budget “north of 20million dollars (£13million)”, 22 different stage backdrops and there were going to be 18 to 22 songs on the setlist.

Michael Jackson spent his final night alive in his favorite spot on Earth: the stage.  Jackson and Ortega were putting the finishing touches on Jackson’s ultimate comeback.

At Staples Center Wednesday night, the performer did a full run-through of his planned comeback concert. He and his company — dancers, musicians, singers, aerial performers, choreographers and costumers — planned to fly to England for final dress rehearsals at London’s O2 Arena.

By lunchtime Thursday, Jackson was in cardiac arrest. But in Staples Center’s spotlight, he was in high spirits and totally engaged, according to a number of his collaborators. Energetic, optimistic and focused, Jackson gave no indication of what was to come, they said. Ortega recalled Jackson as bursting with enthusiasm and personally invested in the production’s most minute details. “There were a couple of times when Michael stood at my side and we looked at the stage together and were just beaming with gladness that we had arrived at this place,” Ortega said. “And he was happy. We all felt that and shared that. We were four or five days from finishing in Los Angeles and heading to London and feeling in really good shape.”

Ortega said he had no knowledge of the singer taking any drugs or medication. He also denied that the slender performer had physically overextended himself by working out four hours a day, six days a week in preparation for the physically taxing concerts.

“He was dancing, training, working every day with our choreographer Travis [Payne],” Ortega said. “Michael has always been slight. That was his fighting weight. He was getting rest time, coming in and working with the band, guiding the singers, working on orchestrations. He was enthusiastically involved in every creative aspect of this production.”

Although plans are not yet confirmed, Ortega is seeking to create a tribute to the singer using some of the choreography, costuming, musical staging and films Jackson engineered for his 50-date “This Is It” concert run at London’s O2 Arena.“He’s so beloved in the world, somehow, perhaps we can find a way to pay tribute to his mind, talent, vision and heart. Maybe part of what we were planning to do in London and beyond — maybe we can share some of these ideas in a different capacity.”

He said he was “only imagining.” But the director outlined an idea to organize a creative collaboration modeled on “We Are the World,” the 1985 song written by Jackson and Lionel Richie to benefit African charities that enlisted a group of pop superstars including Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross.

In a conversation last year we spoke with Ortega the day after he was honored by the ALMA Awards with a Special Recognition in Directing Award. He talked of his work and creating an unparalleled musical franchise.  

How did you feel being honored?
Being part of a night like that is always the best!  To look at the crowd and see Edward James Olmos and so many extraordinary people, and to see kids you saw growing up suddenly walk away with statues and being recognized and applauded by their peers is wonderful.  And my mother was there and that made it so much more special. She’s 82 years old and first taught me to dance, it gave me an opportunity to thank her and recognize her.  It was a wonderful night! 

Tell us about “High School Musical 3”
It was a wonderful coming back together of the entire cast and many of the original crew and all of our producers; working with the studio this time.  We worked with the channel on the first two and now we were working with the studio.  It was a celebration and a great way to say goodbye to an extraordinary experience that has connected all of us with kids all over the world. Zac, Vanessa, Ashley, Lucas, Monique and Corbin were a joy again as always to work with and they put their hearts into their work. We had a wonderful rehearsal period and I think we accomplished a lot, a great deal, and although it’s still modest in comparison to some big expensive musicals, I think we bring a lot of heart and a lot fun to the big screen this time 

Did you ever anticipate the huge success that the first and second “High School Musicals” have had?
No, I didn’t make the movie anticipating anything other than hopefully doing a really good job for the Disney channel. I know that the Disney channel domestically reaches a good size audience so we were hoping we would create something that would be embraced.  We had no idea that we would break down those walls to reach even further from our own backyard and so far beyond! It has reached every culture on the planet.  I read many different reports and I know that hundreds of millions of people have seen it. How could you know? I don’t know. I don’t wish for things like that.  I’m ever so blessed that all this happened and ever so grateful to be living in that light 

How involved are you in the touring live production?
Very much involved.  I produce and direct it and work with my choreographers on staging it. We toured it both domestically and in South America and it was extraordinary! Opening night in Argentina we had seventy three thousand people two nights in a row!  Only the Rolling Stones had ever filled a soccer stadium like that.  We had packed soccer stadiums with kids singing the songs and dancing as far back as you could see. It was just incredible.  My favorite thing when we’re finished with the movies is getting to travel and getting to know the impact that the movies and the records have had on our audiences around the world. Now I get to do a little bit of a test tour in September, October and November.  I’m really looking forward to connecting with the other folks out there. 

How did the “High School Musical” project first come about?
It was brought to me.  The original concept was to do a high school driven story with music. They had a first draft that the channel was interested in and they brought me in for a meeting and asked me what I thought of it.  They said, “If you could do anything what would you want to do with this? What would your vision be?”  I said, it begs to be a break into song musical in the old fashion sense. Everybody was like “That’s what we want, that’s why we invited you here.”  We created a beautiful arc of musical ideas that stretched through the show and we brought in a wonderful group of contemporary composers, lyricists and we were on our way on the development of “High School Musical 1.”  That wasn’t even the title of the movie.  It was a working title, “The high school musical project,” and after we made it and we were looking for titles somebody just said why don’t we just stay with “High School Musical.”  

What are your plans beyond “High School Musical 3”?
“High School Musical” has enabled me – with the help of so many people – to reach an audience that is global and I would like to continue my work in being able to stay in the company of them.  I would like to film more projects that offer me the opportunity to reach and to play for those same people that we have awakened and brought in mass to see “High School Musical.”

What advice would you give someone interested in following your footsteps?
Most importantly that it’s a life investment; that it requires a tremendous amount of dedication, and that education is very important.  There are a lot of decisions, there’s math involved and history there are so many things involved in the work of a director and choreographer;  art, music and timing… So I would just say to any young person who thought this was something they would want in their life to get the most rounded education and then a higher education.  To study hard, to get involved in the arts in high school – even younger if you can – in music and dancing and choir and singing, theater.  And to learn as much about the history as you do as you do from dancing in front of a mirror.

Although the franchise that Ortega helped create will be moving on to “High School Musical 4” with someone new behind the camera, the director seemed confident in his successor and appeared to be focused on the many other projects he’s currently juggling. Next spring, cameras roll on the “Footloose” remake next spring with “Gossip Girl’s” Chace Crawford taking on Kevin Bacon’s famous role.  

Kenny Ortega es uno de los coreógrafos, directores y productores más éxitos en el espectáculo.  Su último proyecto es High School Musical 3,”  la nueva película que llega a cines el —- de Octubre y que avanza la trama musical de los exitosos “High School Musical” y “High School Musical 2.” Las dos primeras versiones han creado records de teleaudiencia para los Canales Disney y se han convertido en dos de las películas de televisión más vistas a nivel mundial.Ortega vino al proyecto desde el principio “Me llamaron para preguntarme que pensaba del proyecto y que haría con él, yo dije, este debe de ser un musical como en los de antes.  Creamos un arca de ideas musicales que fluían a través del show y trajimos un grupo de liricistas y compositores al proyecto. Nunca anticipe tanto éxito.  Ha llegado a toda cultura en el planeta y he escuchado reportes que cientos de millones de personas los han visto.De la nueva película nos dice, “Hemos reunido a casi todo el equipo con el que comenzamos.  Es una gran celebración y una excelente manera de decir adiós a una gran experiencia que nos ha conectado con jóvenes a nivel mundial.”Y su consejo para esos que quiere seguir sus pasos? “Que estudien fuerte y que se den cuenta que esto es una inversión de una vida.”