In 1966 he emigrated to the US, studying music and dance at Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts (1967–1971) and Boston Conservatory at Berklee (1969–1971), with teachers such as James Truitte, Geoffrey Holder, Talley Beatty and others.

[citation needed] In the early 1970s La Habana moved to New York, where he took small roles as a dancer on Broadway and in musical films such as Hair and The Wiz.

At the same time, he began to explore the genre of drag, and for a short period lived a female identity in his everyday life.

[1] He performed in the Palm Casion Revue and at Studio 54 with numbers alluding to artists such as Josephine Baker.

[citation needed] La Habana practices as a Santéria priest and regularly teaches workshops and classes in Afro-Caribbean music and dance.