Watch the New Film Series On-Demand. Donations go to SUSO-NC!

    

JIG SHOW | Leon Claxton's Harlem in Havana 
 A 3-part documentary film series by Leslie Cunningham
(2021 | Total runtime 1:52min)

For a limited time, watch on VIMEO On-Demand 

Visit the film viewing page. Our distribution platform is Vimeo, a video hosting, sharing, and services platform. Learn how to watch On-Demand Videos.  

We're giving $1 from every online order to Stand Up Speak Out-NC (SUSO).

Oct 9 - Durham community Film Screening | Pre-Show - JIG SHOW!

  

JOIN US OCT 9 for a new film work presented by The Hayti Black Filmmakers Collective!

JIG SHOW | Leon Claxton’s Harlem in Havana a documentary film by Leslie Cunningham 

Durham community Film Screening | Pre-Show, Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville St, Durham, NC 27701.    

Featuring live performances by Hip Hop Poet Mr. Rozzi Doors open at 5:30pm! Come early and remember to wear a face-mask. 

Get tickets at haytifilmnextleveloctober.eventive.org. (Can’t make the live event? Choose Virtual screening)

Presented by Hayti Film Festival Next Level and the Hayti Black Filmmakers Collective. Sponsored by The Forest at Duke, ABC-11 WTVD, and Lincoln Community Health Center. 

Bebe Bardeaux featured in the grand finale!

The Grand Finale: Burlesque artist Bebe Bardeaux talks about the history of Black Burlesque in JIG SHOW | Leon Claxton's Harlem in Havana! 

In August of 2020, the New York School of Burlesque Book Club held an online event hosted by Bebe Bardeaux where filmmaker Leslie Cunningham talks about the history of Harlem in Havana, her family's legacy and the Brown Skin Showgirls book. Parts of the virtual interview will be featured in the JIG SHOW film series showing online now.    

Affectionately known as "The Doll of D.C.,"Bebe Bardeaux", is an award-winning burlesque performer who has wowed audiences all across the nation from coast to coast! Bebe took home the 2019 Golden Smile Award at the Golden Legends Champion Challenge and the #1 top prize at the 2018 Washington D.C. Burlypicks competition. She was nominated for the 2018 New York Burlesque Festival's Hottest Freshman Award and the 2018 Best of Gay DC Best Burlesque Performer Award. 

BEBE brings her critical perspective to the film project. She is a published burlesque historian and author of the forthcoming book SHAKE QUEENS, and has been featured in several leading pinup magazines. 

A special thank you to Bebe Bardeaux, the New York School of Burlesque and headmistress Jo Weldon for creating the platform to share the legacy of Harlem in Havana, an important part of the the history of Black Burlesque!  

Watch Part Two of JIG SHOW | Leon Claxton's Harlem in Havana

    

JIG SHOW | Leon Claxton's Harlem in Havana 
 A 3-part documentary film series by Leslie Cunningham

Watch on VIMEO On-Demand! 

We're giving $1 from every online order to Stand Up Speak Out - NC. SUSO. 

Film series viewing page and schedule: 

• Part 1: Filmmaker Leslie and her family take viewers on a tour of the epic Harlem in Havana revue, a so-called Jig Show. Now Showing 
• Part 2: Learn about producer Leon Claxton's life and watch the brown-skin showgirls take the stage! Now Showing 
• Part 3: Coming in August 2021. 
• The full film (digital video only) and study-guide (PDF) will be available in the Fall of 2021.  All live screenings are postponed until further notice. 

Series distribution platform: Vimeo is a video hosting, sharing, and services platform. Learn how to watch On-Demand Videos.  

View the HARLEM IN HAVANA Collectors edition online!

Available in print and digital format 

(IPad, PDF or Web Viewer)

The Harlem in Havana Collector's Edition features 28 original pages taken directly from the show's annual program booklets in 1955, 1958 and 1959. Showcasing outstanding cast members, including Micki Lynn, The Five Pennies and the Cuban Dancing Dolls, some of the pages in this special edition include autographs from the entertainers themselves!  View now. 

JIG SHOW!? Brown-Skinned Showgirls, One Legged Tappers, and a Lucumi Ritual Dance. Celebrating Black History Month.

New documentary film series shines a spotlight on Leon Claxton's Harlem in Havana and a little-known aspect of African American culture. Meet the unknown pioneers who helped shape Black and Cuban entertainment during Jim Crow. Watch Part One in Celebration of Black History Month!

DURHAM, N.C. - Feb. 22, 2021 - PRLog -- Step right up, folks! The last remaining great Black troupers are finally telling their stories about one of America's most successful traveling shows that broke carnival records from the U.S. to Western Canada, birthed music icons like Rufus Thomas, Fontella Bass and Mercedes Valdés, and significantly impacted Black and Latin entertainment during the Jim Crow era. Also unearthed is the legend of one of Tampa's most beloved showman, Leon Claxton Sr., a brave African-American impresario who left an extraordinary legacy despite the insurmountable odds against him and his dreams. Read more now.  

Leon Claxton depicted in West Tampa Mural

Photo credit: Traci Cunningham

Producer Leon Claxton's legacy continues to live on in the city of Tampa, Florida. His image has been depicted in a new West Tampa Mural titled "Faces of West Tampa" created by artists: Illsol (Tony Krol, Michelle Sawyer). The mural is located at Salcines Park, West Tampa, 1705 N Howard Ave. Tampa.gov states - Faces of West Tampa pays homage to the diverse history of West Tampa by showcasing many of the area’s historic figures, elements, and places of historic significance that represent the West Tampa area.  Read more.