Hong Kong-born hothouse flower Pansy Cheung has become something of an enigma in the burlesque community since her debut onto the UK scene. Skipping finishing school to hone her craft in the underground nightclubs of her native city, she cites influences ranging from the dances of the Japanese Maiko and Geiko, to French Cancan (Chahut), pole and aerial dance. Trained in classical ballet from an early age, she studied with Paulette Turner and at the Old Mill Studios. Specialising since her teens in Bellydance and later in Bollywood, she is an elegant and expressive performer, noted for her dynamic use of props such as Isis wings, fire fans, silk veils and balancing swords, her inspired choreographies and inventive costumes, many of which she makes or customises herself. Pansy seeks to actively promote dance in the community as a liberating and legitimate form of expression through her work. An avid interest in oriental dance ethnology led her to train with the Josephine Wise Academy of Arabic Dance (JWAAD) in London, and become a founder member of the Ashay Dance Troupe. Her solo career ignited in 2009 with a residency at Secrets of the Boudoir Burlesque; a productive mutual relationship which still endures as they approach their sixth anniversary. A consummate professional in conduct, offstage she is approachable whilst maintaining a suitable air of mystique. Proving that intelligence, beauty and talent can be a mesmerising combination, she is the proud recipient of not one but two degrees in foreign languages. Travelling as far afield as the USA, Germany, Egypt and Tunisia, Pansy is currently based in Sheffield where she regularly performs and teaches workshops. She shares her home with her three pet rats, one as yet unidentified spirit, and a host of dance paraphernalia both historical and contemporary.