During many of my visits to New York I have thought about going to a burlesq show. For some reason it is an art form that is still alive here, much more so than in many other cities and it has almost become a mainstream entertainment that draws just as many women as men, older as younger.

This week was the first time I eventually got to one of the shows. I have read a little bit about them – words like decadence, underground and hedonism are used frequently – but I still didn't know exactly what to expect.

There was of course a lot of nudity, simple strip numbers by very voluptuous women. There was great, sensual music by the band Amour Obscur with singer Dee Dee Vega with her fantastic voice. And there was a couple of numbers that was just for chock value – more than naked and with a certain degree of grossness that made the audience almost turn away from the stage. On the whole I think most people felt themselves well entertained though, the same can be said for myself. But it is not something I would go to every week.