Mercedes Ellington News

THE MAESTRO'S 120TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT THE DUKE ELLINGTON MONUMENT, on Sunday, April 28, 2019, 1PM to 3PM, is a free all-Ellington theatrical music presentation at The Duke Ellington Monument, that stands majestically at the Frawley's Circle in Central Park (corner of 110th Street and 5th Avenue), the Gateway to Harlem. Mercedes Ellington,  producer, performer/choreographer, Ellington's granddaughter is the Founder & Artistic Director of DECFA.

THE MAESTRO'S 120TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AT THE DUKE ELLINGTON MONUMENT, on Sunday, April 28, 2019, 1PM to 3PM, is a free all-Ellington theatrical music presentation at The Duke Ellington Monument, that stands majestically at the Frawley's Circle in Central Park (corner of 110th Street and 5th Avenue), the Gateway to Harlem. Mercedes Ellington,  producer, performer/choreographer, Ellington's granddaughter is the Founder & Artistic Director of DECFA.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies starting Thursday, March 21, 2019 - Saturday, March 23, 2019.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series was proud to once again present singer/pianist Steve Ross in a new show called "An American In Paris" on Monday, October 1.

Legendary actor, director, singer & choreographer Maurice Hines is set to play The Triad (158 West 72nd Street) on Saturday 8/25 at 7pm. Hines is the brother of the late dancer Gregory Hines and best known for starring in Frances Ford Coppola's 'The Cotton Club', Broadway's 'Sophisticated Ladies,' 'Eubie' 'Jelly's Last Jam' & 'Uptown. He will be joined by The Diva Orchestra starring Sherrie Maracle; tickets are $25-$150 and can be purchased online at www.TriadNYC.com. Lee Summers and Peter Martin are producers.

When Joanna Demafelis' indebted family needed money to fix their typhoon-battered home, she followed in the footsteps of millions of other Filipinos and left to find work overseas. And like far too many Filipinos, her journey ended in tragedy.

At this year's Chita Rivera Awards, actress, dancer, and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade received the second annual Lifetime Achievement Award, iconic composer John Kander received the Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theater as a Composer and legendary theater director and producer Harold Prince was presented with the SDC Director Award for Exemplary Collaboration with Choreographers.

Nominations for the 2018 Chita Rivera Awards were announced today. In keeping with the mission of the Chita Rivera Awards, nominators considered shows and films that opened during the 2017-2018 theater season. View the full list below

The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts (DECFA) will celebrate the 119th birthday of Duke Ellington with a FREE All-Ellington Musical Tribute on Sunday, April 29, 2018, 1PM to 3PM. which will be staged beneath the Duke Ellington statue that stands majestically at the corner of 110th Street and 5th Avenue - the Gateway to Harlem, it was announced by noted dancer/choreographer Mercedes Ellington, Duke Ellington's granddaughter, who is President, Founder & Artistic Director of DECFA.

Refusing to end their 2017/2018 season, Delaware Theatre Company reprises their hit production Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life. Happy to be performing for Wilmington audiences again, tap dancing legend Maurice Hines will wow audiences for one weekend only, Friday, June 1 to Sunday, June 3, 2018.

Columbia University School of the Arts presents ten new plays written by the Columbia MFA Playwriting Students of 2018. The esteemed faculty who have nurtured these students, including Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and Charles L. Mee, invite you to experience these innovative new playwrights.

Columbus State University 's College of the Arts will present renowned dancer/choreographer/actress Mercedes Ellington with its 2017 "Lifetime Achievement Award in Dance" at CSU's annual BROADWAY BALL on Friday, December 1 in Columbus, GA. The announcement was made by Karyn Tomsczak, the Viki Jiles Flanagan Distinguished Chair in Dance in CSU's Department of Theatre.

Celebrating its 45th Anniversary, The Emelin Theatre, in Mamaroneck NY, brings the best in live performing arts to Westchester and other nearby communities and promotes a cultural life that entertains, educates and invigorates. Well-known for its high-quality and affordable programs, the Emelin presents a broad mix of entertainment appealing to all ages and tastes and attracts diverse audiences throughout Westchester County and beyond.

Juilliard Dance, led by acting artistic director Taryn Kaschock Russell, continues its season with Spring Dances, a repertory program featuring Merce Cunningham's Sounddance, set to Untitled 1975/1994 by David Tudor and staged by Jean Freebury; Crystal Pite's Grace Engine, set to music by Owen Belton and staged by Alexandra Damiani; and Twyla Tharp's Deuce Coupe, set to music by the Beach Boys and staged by Richard Colton.

The 2nd annual Chita Rivera Awards (www.ChitaRiveraAwards.com) will take place on Sunday, May 20, 2018 at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Place off of Washington Square Park), it was announced today by Nikki Feirt Atkins, Founder and Producing Artistic Director of American Dance Machine for the 21st Century (www.ADM21.org) and Joe Lanteri, Founder and Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation (www.NYCDAFoundation.net). ADM21 has joined forces with the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation to present this year's Awards. Atkins, Lanteri along with Patricia Watt are the Executive Producers of the Chita Rivera Awards.

Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Director Edgar Dobie are pleased to announce that Broadway legend Maurice Hines will serve as the Master of Ceremonies and international touring artist and global humanitarian Mary McBride will headline the 2018 Arena Stage Gala honoring Mayor Muriel Bowser on Thursday, May 10, 2018 at the Mead Center for American Theater (1101 Sixth St., SW). As previously announced, the Gala features the presentation of the third annual Beth Newburger Schwartz Award to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and will recognize Jessica Stafford Davis as an Emerging Leader. The Gala is helmed by event chairs and Arena Stage Trustees Lavern Chatman and Maggie FitzPatrick.

Juilliard Dance, under the leadership of acting artistic director Taryn Kaschock Russell, opens its season in December with New Dances: Edition 2017 featuring four world-premiere dances created for Juilliard students by choreographers Bryan Arias (first-year class), Gentian Doda (second-year class), Roy Assaf (third-year class), and Gustavo Ram rez Sansano (fourth-year class). The works are Bryan Arias' The Sky Seen From the Moon; Gentian Doda's This Silence; Roy Assaf's 25 People; and Gustavo Ramirez Sansano's A Thousand Thoughts.

Columbus State University 's College of the Arts will present renowned dancer/choreographer/actress Mercedes Ellington with its 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award in Dance at CSU's annual BROADWAY BALL on Friday, December 1 in Columbus, GA. The announcement was made by Karyn Tomczak, the Viki Jiles Flanagan Distinguished Chair in Dance in CSU's Department of Theatre.

Juilliard Dance, under the leadership of acting artistic director Taryn Kaschock Russell, opens its season in December with New Dances: Edition 2017 featuring four world-premiere dances created for Juilliard students by choreographers Bryan Arias (first-year class), Gentian Doda (second-year class), Roy Assaf (third-year class), and Gustavo Ram rez Sansano (fourth-year class). The works are Bryan Arias' The Sky Seen From the Moon; Gentian Doda's This Silence; Roy Assaf's 25 People; and Gustavo Ramirez Sansano's A Thousand Thoughts.

Mercedes Ellington To Receive Spirit of '45 Award At 1st Annual "Night of Swing" Saturday,  Aug. 12 at Wyndham New Yorker Hotel Honoring America's  Greatest Generation ; Co-Hosted By United War Veteran Council, Former GIs And Their Gals Will       Swing to Music of  Ellington, Goodman,  Miller, Dorsey & Basie