The Harlem in Havana Story: Film Screening & Panel Discussion

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 three-part documentary takes viewers inside the legendary Harlem in Havana Revue, featuring Cunningham’s grandmother Shirley Bates, former lead exotic dancer, and her father John Cunningham, a San Diego musician raised on the show. Rare footage, never-before-digitized show photos, archival clips, and vibrant performances illuminate the rise and fall of Claxton’s troupe, while historians, burlesque artists, and musicians provide cultural context.

The Library for the Performing Arts screens JIG SHOW, which celebrates a legacy of resilience, artistry, and cultural bridges, urging audiences to reclaim this vibrant history and honor the entertainers who defied segregation with courage and creativity. In addition to the screening, the program features a special pop-up burlesque performance by The Doll of D.C.  Bebe Bardeaux, and a post-screening panel discussion with filmmaker Leslie Cunningham, burlesque historians Bebe Bardeaux and Chicava HoneyChild, and facilitated by NYC burlesque artist GiGi Holliday.

Photo Credit: The Harlem in Havana Project.

SEATING POLICY | Programs are free and open to all, but registration is requested. Check-in line forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Registered guests are given priority check-in 15 to 30 minutes before start time. Five minutes before the advertised start time, all seats are released, regardless of registration, to our patrons in the stand-by line. If you arrive after the program starts, you will be seated at the discretion of our front-of-house staff.

STANDBY LINE | If registration is sold out or has ended, do not fret! We welcome you to come to the Library regardless of registration status and wait in our standby line, which forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Five minutes before the program starts, all remaining seats are released. While this is not guaranteed, we will do our best to get you into any of our programs.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING AND ASL | ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing [email protected].

BRUNO WALTER POLICY | Please note that any unoccupied seat will be released five minutes before the show begins and holding seats for anyone beyond that is prohibited. There is no food or drink allowed inside the venue.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING | Programs may be photographed and recorded by and at the discretion of the Library for the Performing Arts and will post signs indicating as such. If you would prefer your image not be captured, please let us know and we can seat you accordingly. Attending any program indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any and all purposes of the New York Public Library.

PRESS | Please send all press inquiries to Alex Teplitzky at [email protected]. Please note that all recording, including professional video recordings, are prohibited without expressed consent from the Library.

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Host or Publisher New York Public Library for the Performing Arts