Mercedes Ellington News

Musicians from the Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars band, currently in the 7-time Tony-nominated Broadway musical After Midnight, visited Duke Ellington's grave at Woodlawn cemetery, where a crowd gathered to honor his legacy on the 40th year anniversary of his death. They played MOOD INDIGO, and Mercedes Ellington (Duke's granddaughter) placed a wreath at the gravesite. They finished with a triumphant Ellington classic, TAKE THE A TRAIN.

On Tuesday evening, 9-time Tony award winner Tommy Tune hosted a dinner for the musical After Midnight to celebrate their 7 Tony Award nominations at his home on the Upper East Side. Guests for the evening included Andre Leon Talley, Ruben and Isabel Toledo, Mercedes Ellington, William Ivey Long, Rick Miramontez, Jean Doumanian, David Rockwell, Warren Carlyle and After Midnight producer Scott Sanders. Check out photos from the evening below!

Multi International award-winning Swedish singer/songwriter Viktoria Tocca, who won 14 Indie Music Channel Awards (IMCA) in 2012 and 2013, including "Artist of the Year," announced that the first single from her new all-English album currently being recorded in New York City - titled We're Still Young -- is available for purchase and streaming today on iTunes, Amazon, Google and Spotify:

Cleveland Play House enthusiastically welcomes dance legend Maurice Hines to Cleveland in the toe-tapping extravaganza, Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life. Co-produced with Alliance Theatre and Arena Stage, CPH audiences will be dazzled by this infectious production, which brings the history of American tap to life. Directed by Tony-nominee Jeff Calhoun (Newsies) and featuring contemporary tap icons The Manzari Brothers and music from the all-female big band The Diva Orchestra, Tappin' Thru Life will dance its way onto PlayhouseSquare's Allen Theatre stage for an extended run from May 30 - June 29. Special gratitude is given to CPH's generous sponsor, Zinner & Co.

Mercedes Ellington, the renowned dancer/director-choreographer and founder and artistic director of The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts in New York City, will be an Honored Guest and one of the featured speakers at the 22nd International Duke Ellington Study Group Conference, which will be held May 14- May 18,2014 in Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Ms. Ellington, granddaughter of the legendary American composer and musician whose more than 3,000 musical compositions make him the 20th century's most prolific composer, will discuss her relationship with 'The Duke,' as well as his growing popularity today, 40 years after his passing on May 24, 1974.

The 2014 Career Transition For Dancers Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance Awards will be presented to Janice Galli Becker, Fe Saracino Fendi, and Joe Tremaine & Tremaine Dance Conventions & Competitions.

Juilliard Dance, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes, opens its 2014-15 season in December 2014 with New Dances: Edition 2014 featuring four world premiere dances by innovative choreographers, Juilliard alumnus Austin McCormick (1st-Year Dancers); alumna Loni Landon (2nd-Year Dancers); Kate Weare (3rd-Year Dancers); and Larry Keigwin (4th-Year Dancers). Mr. Keigwin is returning to Juilliard where he already choreographed and premiered, in December 2008, Runaway, a large-scale piece that riffs on the high fashion runway scene, and in December 2009, Megalopolis.

The Critically Acclaimed Hit New Musical 'BUGLE BOY' exploring the life and work of legendary band leader Glenn Miller is set to tour the country again after its highly successful 2011; 2012 & 2013 UK Tours; including a full house standing ovation in the West End Garrick Theatre receiving terrific reviews from both critics and audiences alike and hailed a Triumph.

The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts will commemorate the Duke's 115th birthday with an outdoor ceremony and concert on Sunday, April 27th at 1 PM in front of Duke Ellington's statue at 5th Avenue and 110th street. Additionally Duke Ellington's 115th Birthday Bash, a musical birthday Party and show will be celebrated on Duke's actual birthday two days later (Tuesday, April 29, from 7 to 9 PM) at Ballroom off Fifth on 37th St between 5th and 6th Avenues.

Although the legendary Duke Ellington passed away on May 24, 1974, nearly 40 years ago, his fame and stature continue to grow and blossom. Just this past year alone, After Midnight, a big band musical featuring all-Ellington music in a tribute to Harlem's famous Cotton Club, opened on Broadway and is one of the favorites for winning a TONY Award this year; an SRO audience cheered the hundreds of students who participated in Arranging Ellington, concert of Ellington's sacred music, at Carnegie Hall this past March 23; and the Duke Ellington Center Big Band is finalizing plans for concert tours of France and the US during the upcoming year.

The Wallis Center for the Performing Arts presents Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life for 19 performances only from May 9 - 24, 2014 in the Bram Goldsmith Theater. Maurice Hines, a Tony Award nominee, is a celebrated dancer, choreographer, director, and singer, whose impressive career spans over 40 years. Directed by Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun (Broadway's Newsies and Grey Gardens), Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life features D.C.'s dynamic tap-dancing duo, the Manzari Brothers, as well as the all-female, nine-piece big band, The Diva Jazz Orchestra.

ROLEX presents NEW YORK NEW YORK a helluva town - Career Transition For Dancers' 29th Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 6, 2014 at 7:00 pm at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (btwn. 6th & 7th Aves) NYC followed by dinner at The Grand Ballroom at The Hilton New York. Angela Lansbury will receive the 2014 Rolex Dance Award.

This month, Juilliard Dances Repertory presents repertory works by acclaimed choreographers Eliot Feld, Juilliard alumnus Lar Lubovitch, and Twyla Tharp. Juilliard dancers perform Baker's Dozen by Twyla Tharp; Concerto Six Twenty-Two by Lar Lubovitch; and The Jig is Up by Eliot Feld. All three dances were choreographed between 1979 and 1986, and Juilliard dancers have had the opportunity to learn the dances through intensive work with two of the choreographers - Eliot Feld and Lar Lubovitch - and with Juilliard alumna Shelley Washington, an original member of the cast of Twyla Tharp's work.

This month, Juilliard Dances Repertory presents repertory works by acclaimed choreographers Eliot Feld, Juilliard alumnus Lar Lubovitch, and Twyla Tharp. Juilliard dancers perform Baker's Dozen by Twyla Tharp; Concerto Six Twenty-Two by Lar Lubovitch; and The Jig is Up by Eliot Feld. All three dances were choreographed between 1979 and 1986, and Juilliard dancers have had the opportunity to learn the dances through intensive work with two of the choreographers - Eliot Feld and Lar Lubovitch - and with Juilliard alumna Shelley Washington, an original member of the cast of Twyla Tharp's work.

Rolex presents NEW YORK NEW YORK - Career Transition For Dancers' 29th Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 6, 2014 at 7:00 pm at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (btwn. 6th & 7th Aves) NYC followed by dinner at The Grand Ballroom at The Hilton New York. From Broadway to the Battery, NEW YORK NEW YORK will take you on a rockin' ride through the most inimitable, iconic entertainment capital of the world - a mecca for arts and culture. Dance with us around our town, the most diverse city alive! This one-night-only entertainment event of the season features the best talent in theatre and dance performing with the Jubilee Orchestra. The show is produced and directed by Ann Marie DeAngelo.

In March 2014, Juilliard Dances Repertory presents repertory works by acclaimed choreographers Eliot Feld, Juilliard alumnus Lar Lubovitch, and Twyla Tharp. Juilliard dancers perform Concerto Six Twenty-Two by Lar Lubovitch; Baker's Dozen by Twyla Tharp; and The Jig is Up by Eliot Feld. All three dances were choreographed between 1979 and 1986, and Juilliard dancers will have the opportunity to learn the dances through intensive work with two of the choreographers - Eliot Feld and Lar Lubovitch - and with Shelley Washington, an original member of the cast of Twyla Tharp's work.

There is a New Date for Career Transition For Dancers WINTER HEAT Latin Dance Party to be held on Monday, March 10th, 2014 at the beautiful Edison Ballroom (240 West 47 Street NYC). Sponsored by Rolex Watch USA, the benefit includes cocktails & hors d'oeuvres at 7:00 pm, a three-course sit-down dinner at 8:00pm, an open bar, and dancing to the sounds of Louis Bauzo and the Havana San Juan Orchestra. There will also be a Latin dance lesson and demonstration by Arthur Murray Dance Center Columbus Circle. This annual event is a special Benefit Dinner that supports the multifaceted life span of dancers. Whether performing, creating choreography, starting a business, or leaving the dance world altogether, the goals are to raise funds to ensure positive futures for these talented artists. The dress code is 'Whatever Makes You Dance.' This fun-filled evening of Latin entertainment will capture the glamour of a sophisticated Manhattan supper club with a beautiful dance floor and food and drink to warm up the winter night.

Juilliard Dance, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes, presents New Dances PLUS: Edition 2013 from tonight, December 11-15, 2013featuring Juilliard alumna Pina Bausch's Wind von West (Wind from the West) performed by 4th-Year Dancers, plus three world premiere commissions created for each of the classes of Juilliard's Dance Division.

Juilliard Dance, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes, presents New Dances PLUS: Edition 2013 from December 11-15, 2013featuring Juilliard alumna Pina Bausch's Wind von West (Wind from the West) performed by 4th-Year Dancers, plus three world premiere commissions created for each of the classes of Juilliard's Dance Division. This year's innovative choreographers are Juilliard alumnus Takehiro Ueyama (1st-Year Dancers); Brian Brooks (2nd-Year Dancers); and Juilliard alumnus Darrell Grand Moultrie (3rd-Year Dancers).

Lifelong performer and Tony Award nominee Maurice Hines (Broadway's Sophisticated Ladies and Eubie!) captivates audiences with stories, songs and smooth choreography for his return to Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater with Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life. Under the direction of Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun (Broadway's Newsies and Grey Gardens), Hines, who started performing at five years old, brings the history of American tap to life and pays tribute to his brother Gregory and the singers who inspired him, from Frank Sinatra to Lena Horne. A co-production with ALLIANCE THEATRE at the Woodruff and Cleveland Play House, Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life runs tonight, November 15-December 29, 2013 in the Kreeger Theater.