We were thrilled to share that Mercedes Ellington served as Grand Marshal of this year’s Dance Parade! The 19th Annual Parade and Festival featured 10,000 dancers and over 100 styles of dance, kicking off with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 11:45 AM on 17th Street and Sixth Avenue. A trailblazing dancer, choreographer, and educator, Mercedes was the granddaughter of jazz legend Duke Ellington. She made history in 1963 as the first African American member of the June Taylor Dancers on The Jackie Gleason Show and later dazzled on Broadway in Sophisticated Ladies and Play On, earning a Tony nomination for choreography. A Juilliard alum and founder of the Duke Ellington Center for the Arts, she was recently honored with the 2025 Martha Hill Dance Lifetime Achievement Award. Listeners tuned in to WBAI 99.5 FM and wbai.org on Tuesday, May 13, to hear Mercedes interviewed by Reggie Johnson as part of a special program celebrating this year’s Dance Parade.