In the first of a semi-regular series, our resident stripper Solitaire reflects on her first burlesque performance...

As a pub stripper, I'm used to being on stage a dozen or so times a night, getting everything off and spreading my legs (hooray!). Yes there's an artistic element to it, and it involves more skill than you might think, but fundamentally it's about being horny and getting naked. So when I was asked to do a burlesque show recently, it was a challenge. Keeping g-string and nipple tassles on changes the style of performance more than you might think. Also, I had to come up with just the one themed show, decided and planned-out in advance of the night, and would only have that one chance to impress.

It might seem odd to be more nervous about keeping clothes on than taking them off, but when you get your kit off every day, and frequently get complimented on having a beautiful pussy, to perform without playing that trump card at the end feels a bit daunting. I also knew the audience would be much more mixed than I'm used to, with a much higher proportion of women than in my usual pub crowd. It's more nerve-wracking to undress for women as in my experience they're much more critical - men won't comment on or seem to care about a spot on your arse, whereas a woman will point it out straight away.

Coy, cute burlesque doesn't turn me on, and seeing as to give a great performance I need to feel erotically charged, I decided to put a sleazy spin on things (yes, the sleazier and dirtier side of things is what gets me going). So I did AC/DC 'She's Got The Jack' - slow sexy burlesque-y rhythm but dirty rock n' roll lyrics. I didn't realise the night I'd be performing at was a supper club though, let alone that I'd be on just as they were tucking into their main courses, or I would have done something more tasteful...

For those watching who want to fantasise about getting the performer into bed, it's harder to imagine what the experience would be like. Burlesque performance is so perfected, so choreographed - there's not so much room for spontaneity and of course no total nudity. Watching a pub stripper, getting totally naked on the stage in a spontaneous unchoreographed show, more of the girl's real personality comes through, and you get to see every inch of her body in its natural shape. In burlesque, who knows what’s really under that laced-up-tight whalebone corset...

Of course burlesque is a great way to get your girlfriend out to a saucy night with beautiful women partially undressing, all in the name of art. She might even decide she'd like to learn some of the skills herself - burlesque has taken over from pole-dancing as the new dance craze, and is less intimidating than pole for anyone who isn't a perfect size 10. For all of this in one evening, head to the night I performed at, Naughty But Nice at Volupte Lounge in London (www.volupte-lounge.com/cabaret.php). Run by erotica grande dame Jo King, head of the London Academy of Burlesque, the night combines great food, performances and a mini burlesque lesson, a taster for the courses the Academy runs. Who knows, you might even see me there.