Newspapers, hats, tinsel and tassels were just some of the props used in the medical students charity dance and strip show, CLICendales.

CLICendales is organised every year by Bristol Medical School’s student society Galenicals and raises money for CLIC Sargent, the leading children’s cancer charity in the UK. Over the last six years, Bristol Medical School has raised £58,196 for the charity.

Auditions began last November and the only performance of the show – at the O2 Academy on the 10th March – sold out. Over 1700 tickets were sold in just three days.

The show was hosted by Josh Lewkowicz and Matt Coates who promised the audience ‘top-quality stripping’. Bands Flu Fighters and Scarlet Fever opened the evening before this promise was fulfilled by male, female and mixed semi and full-strips, but the production also featured non-strip acts where no nudity was involved.

The CLICendale ‘around the world’ theme encompassed a broad range of acts including Bollywood, Brazilian, London Flash Mob and Cowboys and Aliens. There were a number of different dance styles from ballet to hip-hop.

The first performance was a Japanese-themed non- strip dance, which set the bar high for the rest of the performances. The racier acts came later in the evening, including a cross-dressing strip show. Rhys Williams, one of the medic strippers, said he found the ‘transsexual’ performance ‘liberating’ and ‘sexy’.

Hosts Lewkowicz and Coates encouraged the crowd to buy raffle tickets and wristbands to raise money for CLIC Sargent before introducing the evening’s finale; the boys’ full- strip which was performed to ‘Sexy and I Know It’ by LMFAO.

Second year English student Jess Bancroft went to see CLICendales for the first time this year. She told Epigram, ‘All the performers had obviously put loads of time into it and the choreography was really impressive, but I’ve never seen so much fake tan in one go!

‘It’s just weird to think that they are all going to be doctors one day.’

Tim Robinson, Publicity Rep of the CLICendale committee, told Epigram, ‘The show went really well and reflected all the hard work and effort put in by all the organisers and dancers throughout the last few months.

‘With so little time to practice it was amazing to see how everything came together on the night with some excellent choreography giving us a great show to watch.’

He also commented on the amount of money raised for CLIC Sargent by the event. ‘With £10,000 already raised and money still pouring in it should not be difficult to surpass the £11,400 raised in 2011,’ he said.

CLIC Sargent helps anyone affected by children’s cancer. The charity provides support throughout and after treatment, helping survivors and families come to terms with their ordeal. The money raised through CLICendales will go to CLIC Sargent ‘Homes from Home’ in Bristol, which offers families free self-catering accommodation close to the Regional Children’s Cancer Centres.