Astaire Awards Honors Kenny Ortega with Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Prize

Kenny Ortega will be awarded the Douglas Watt Lifetime Achievement Award on June 7th when the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards are presented in a ceremony at the Gerald Lynch Theatre at John Jay College. The ceremony will also include performances by Robin Cofer and Ronald K. Brown's Evidence Dance Company, there will also be a spercial tribute to Ortega.

Ortega will direct the film adaptation of IN THE HEIGHTS due out next year. Ortega directed the 'High School Musical' films, in addition to Michael Jackson's 'This Is It.' Also well known for his choreography, he has choreographed many films including 'Dirty Dancing,' 'Pretty In Pink,' 'Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar' and 'Newsies.' Ortega also directed the cult classic 'Hocus Pocus.' In 1989 Oretega directed Cher's Heart Of Stone tour. For more about Oretega click here.

For tickets and information, call 212-595-0925 or email: Patricia_Watt@msn.com.

Douglas Watt, who inspired the prize, spent nearly 6 decades as a Broadway theatre critic for The Daily News. Watt was instramental in convincing producer Cheryl Crawford to bring the New Jersery revival of PORGY AND BESS to Broadway in 1941, helping to solidify the show's landmark place in history. Watt was one of the foundered of the Drama Desk Awards and served on the nominating committee for both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Awards. Watt died at the age of 95 on September 29, 2009.

The Astaire Awards, established 26 years ago by the Anglo-American Contemporary Dance Foundation, recognize outstanding achievement in dance on Broadway each season. The awards were established with the cooperation of Fred Astaire to honor him and his sister, Adele, who starred with her brother in 10 Broadway musicals between 1917 and 1931. In 2008 the Awards were expanded to include dance in choreography for film as this was the métier that brought Fred Astaire to international fame and a permanent slot on every list of the top movie stars of the century.

Previous winners of awards for choreography are such legends as George Balanchine, Michael Bennett, Patricia Birch, Wayne Cilento, Graciela Daniele, Bob Fosse, Peter Martins, Ann Reinking, Jerome Robbins, Susan Stroman, and Tommy Tune.