We’re engaging in a little light bump ‘n’ grind, popping our hips and shimmying our chests (mostly female, but with a few manboobs jiggling about too, it must be said).

It’s hard to say who is having more fun — the audience or Tempest Rose, our host for the evening. “That’s an intimate experience you didn’t expect to share with 600 people tonight, isn’t it, Oxford?” winks Tempest.

This moment is one of many unexpected delights unveiled in a cheeky night of cabaret — An Evening Of Burlesque — hosted by Tempest, AKA Ariadne Blakey, a former pupil of Oxford High School.

Tempest, decked out in a swirling array of peekaboo frocks, never once let her her wit slip during more than two hours of compering. Introducing her fellow stars to the stage, this was a night where female wit and sexuality — in all its forms — were celebrated. Fiery comedienne Amber Topaz offered a witty rendition of the Jessica Rabbit routine and retained her dignity with routines that involved mesmerising the crowd with both her vocal chords and her bare buttocks... not an easy feat.

Uberglamorous Bettsie Bonbon (touted as a ‘vintage showgirl’ in the troupe’s publicity material, which does her a disservice) sang her heart out as Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

Having never been to a burlesque show, and wondering what to expect, my gal pal and I were glad to find the ‘all tease and no sleaze’ goal had been achieved, harking back to the glory of retro cabaret shows which allowed their stars to sizzle for their their dance, comedy and musical ability as much as their stripping talent.

Three huge cheers for a remarkable hula display and a glittery encore by The Folly Mix girls, who made me vow to get to the gym at least once this year, as well as investing in some spangly pasties.

The only bum note in the music, tastewise that is,was Tempest Rose’s My Heart Belongs To Daddy. As Tempest herself exclaimed after receiving a fairly limp response to her ‘give me a cheer if you love your dad!’ holler, maybe Oxford needs some therapy?

The magician Christian Lee, who put a giant yellow balloon on his head, to huge cheers from the receptive crowd, left me cold. However, the drag ballerina who took three unwilling victims for a pirouette on stage was hilarious.

But it was the women who really shone.