Chelmsford is set for regular bouts of naughty-but-nice entertainment when Miss Phoenix brings her monthly Flaming Burlesque nights to hooga, starting this week.

Brace yourself for glitz, glamour and cheekiness as Miss Phoenix, aka Hazel Goodman, hosts a night of saucy striptease that, if successful, will be the first of many.

Hazel, 31, grew up in Dagenham but now lives in Brentwood and is proud to be hosting the first regular burlesque show in Essex.

With an interest in burlesque for more than 10 years, Hazel only started performing six months ago but hasn't looked back since.

"I really love the whole burlesque and retro scene but I had no idea of how to get into it. I fell into modelling when I was asked to do a photoshoot for a friend's student project and it's just gone from there.

"I met some burlesque dancers at a show and got friendly with them and decided it was something I wanted to do."

Attending a burlesque school in Shepherds Bush ("a room above a pub"), Hazel learnt the very particular techniques you need to be a burlesque dancer and also read up on its long history, stretching back to the early 19th century.

With expert guidance, Hazel took to burlesque instantly and her first show was at Madame JoJo's in London, one of the top cabaret clubs in the capital.

"It was really good," Hazel recalls. "It was fun, I wasn't too nervous, I was more excited. It felt great to be up there so I jumped at the chance to bring something like that to Essex."

Hazel says first the Flaming Burlesque night at hooga will feature six performers/dancers with music in between from Jake Allen, a talented singer and guitarist who performs in a 1950s rockabilly style.

With the first show at hooga being free, Hazel is hoping it's going to be a great success and is promising a few surprises.

"We've got some very different acts. With burlesque, you can go to extremes and bring your own personality to it and that's what everyone will be doing.

"It's really good fun and there's a lot of humour involved. It's completely different to lap-dancing. It's stripping, no matter how you look at it, but it's done with a sense of humour."

Miss Phoenix Nights Flaming Burlesque is at hooga, Chelmsford, on Wednesday, February 15 from 8pm and entry is free. Find out more at www.missphoenix.co.uk