✨Event Details✨
One Epic Day. Two Legendary Venues. Two Unforgettable Events.
STEP RIGHT UP, FOLKS, into a world of history, glamour, and live performance on Saturday, May 9, 2026, as Harlem in Havana NYC presents an unforgettable documentary event across two iconic New York venues.
Experience the New York premiere of the documentary film JIG SHOW | Leon Claxton’s Harlem in Havana, bringing the legendary Harlem in Havana revue to life on the big screen at the New York Library for the Performing Arts.
Then, as the evening unfolds, step into the dazzling Brown Skin Showgirls: A Harlem in Havana Tribute Show — a live stage celebration of the music, dance, and showmanship that defined a legacy — at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center.
✨EVENT I: Film Screening & Art Talk✨
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts | 1–3:30 PM | Free
Step behind the velvet curtain for the New York premiere of JIG SHOW | Leon Claxton’s Harlem in Havana, a documentary by filmmaker Leslie Cunningham. Dive into a sizzling, untold chapter of American entertainment — where Black brilliance, Cuban rhythm, and early burlesque lit up the big top and defied segregation. This event features a post-screening Art Talk with filmmaker Leslie Cunningham, burlesque historians Chicava HoneyChild and Bebe Bardeaux, and facilitated by burlesque legend GiGi Holliday. Plus a special pop-up burlesque performance by Bebe Bardeaux. Don’t miss it!
✨Event II: Brown Skin Showgirls: A Harlem in Havana Tribute Show✨
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center | 7:30 PM | Free | 18+
Step right up, folks—and step back in time. As the night falls, join us at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center for Brown Skin Showgirls: A Harlem in Havana Tribute Show – where forbidden glamour, radical beauty, and electrifying performance collide.
This immersive burlesque spectacle resurrects Leon Claxton’s legendary midway show—a decadent, defiant celebration of Black and Latine performers who broke rules, bent genres, and seduced the American stage during Jim Crow. Featuring a glamorous cast of performers, headlined by Jessabelle Thunder (Miss Exotic World 2026), and hosted by the captivating Junior Mintt. Dare to witness it.
✨ Cast & Crew✨
✨Our Individual Donors✨
Thank you to our gracious donors:
VISIONARY PRODUCER:
Delilah DuBois
LEGACY PRODUCER:
Miss Frankie Eleanor
IMPRESARIO CIRCLE:
Qu’in de la Noche
Laurie Kurutz
Golden Legends Champion Challenge
“STEP RIGHT UP” SUPPORTERS :
Kate Bellody
BlackPinUps
ILOV GRATE
✨Proud Producers and Sponsors✨
A Spectacular Production of The Harlem in Havana Project
With Appreciation to Our Supporters, Artists & Collaborators.
Special Thanks to Metro Cabaret Club for Consultation & Guidance.
HARLEM IN HAVANA 