Celebrate the Legacy of Duke Ellington At A Free Outdoor Festival in September

The American Tap Dance Foundation and The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts will present a free outdoor tribute to legendary composer and bandleader Duke Ellington on Sunday, September 28, from 2–4 PM at the Duke Ellington Statue (5th Avenue and 110th Street) in Harlem, Manhattan.

The celebration will be co-hosted by Mercedes Ellington—granddaughter of Duke Ellington and Founder and Artistic Director of The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts—and Tony Waag, Founding Director of the American Tap Dance Foundation.

The afternoon will feature performances by The Duke Ellington Center Big Band, led by musical director Eli Yamin, performing timeless Ellington compositions and beloved jazz standards. Joining the festivities will be dancers DeWitt Fleming Jr., AC Lincoln, Max Pollak, and Karen Callaway Williams; vocalists Marion Cowings, Nicholas King, Antoinette Montague, and Sharon K. Janda; plus stilt walker Mark Mindek and actor Miles Purinton. The event will showcase the vibrant fusion of jazz and tap dance that reflects Ellington’s enduring influence on American music and the performing arts.

This project is supported in part by Creative Engagement, a regrant program administered by LMCC with funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Howard Gilman Foundation. The event is free and open to the public.