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"This ballroom territory is fairly new to me and it's difficult because choreographers always want to lead and in ballroom dance you have to let the gentleman lead and he makes all the decisions especially in the tango," Ellington said.

At Dance Times Square in Midtown, Ellington says she also likes ballroom dancing because it promotes big band -- the kind that made her grandfather, Duke, a legend.

This year marks Duke Ellington's 110th birthday. And while Mercedes is involved with a yearlong celebration in New York and across the country, there's one Ellington work that isn't yet on anyone's radar -- "The Green People And The Purple People."

The story, written by Duke in the mid-1950s, tells the tale of two different colored people who go to war only to find out they all bleed red. Mercedes recited it in New Orleans in July.

"And when I performed it of course my big thing was that everything was green and purple that I had on. People thought I was out of mind when I came out," Ellington said.

There's no music written for it, but Mercedes would like to help organize a student competition so young musicians could compete to compose a score for the story.

When the project comes to fruition, Ellington would of course like to choreograph "The Green People And The Purple People."

"It will be involving ballet and modern and tap. All the disciplines," Ellington said. "Because I think Ellington, that was one of his things, he liked to do everything. He liked everything to be included in something. He didn't like boundaries."