John McConnico for The New York Times

Maud Olofsson, Sweden’s Enterprise and Energy Minister, announced recently the addition of 2,000 wind turbines to the country’s alternative energy regimen. The move, which would be rolled out over the next ten years would add 10 terawatt hours of clean energy per year to their grid. But is that enough for the Scandinavian country? Apparently not because they’ve also set a goal for themselves to have 50 percent (yes, half!) of their electricity come from renewable sources by 2020!

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Welcome to MSW Interviews. Today’s guest is Alita D’Bone (aka Alita Rickards), one of the stars in the burlesque dance troupe based in Taiwan, Rock in Hose. Rock in Hose Burlesque has been entertaining on stages throughout Taiwan since March 2009. This talented dance group is comprised of six members who came to Taiwan looking for adventure and found it. Don’t miss the first act of their island-wide tour which kicks off at Roxy Roots in Taipei tomorrow night.

MSW: Hi Alita. Thanks for being here today. Can we start with an introduction to the group?

Alita D’Bone: I first came to Taiwan from Canada 10 years ago. I’ve taught English here, worked as a columnist for the China Post, and work now as a freelance reporter for Taipei Times. I’ve taken over 4 years off from work (in the last decade) to travel, and to live in Prague twice, and India and Thailand for a year each. This burlesque troupe takes the cake though, for interesting things I’ve done in Taiwan. It rules my world right now.

Duke Vita, aka Tinus Stander, and Anja Whitehead aka Onyx, both hail from South Africa. Duke was involved in dinner theatre, stage productions, and TV at home; he’s been in Taiwan for 5 years now. He teaches English and is involved in the Taipei Players theater company in addition to being a Hose.

Onyx calls Taipei home after living here for 5 years. She has a great love of the arts and creative expression and likes to get dressed up and design costumes. She’s also one of the few teachers who loves working with children.

Kitty N. Heat, aka Kathleen Batchelor moved to Taiwan from America in 2006 and is also an English teacher. She has an extensive background in dance (we’ve all seen videos of her dancing from when she was 4 years old until now…won’t mom be proud!). In addition to ballet, hip-hop and jazz, she also dabbled in theater classes as a kid.

Cresencio Victoria aka Amor Galore is also from America and has been in Taiwan teaching English for a year, this is his first theatrical experience.

Trixie Treatz, aka Marika McTague moved from Canada to Taiwan 3 years ago, teaches English, and also acted in an ESL video series and has written and directed numerous plays.

I guess what this shows is that it takes all types – some of us have a lot of previous experience and some of us are doing it for the first time.

MSW: When did you first become interested in burlesque?

Alita D’Bone: A few years back I had a band in Taiwan called Creepy Susan. At that time I had been doing spoken word for over 10 years, and though I loved singing, I wanted to do something more theatrical. When I saw the Lustsluts, an early burlesque troupe from Hualien do a show, I was hooked… I knew I wanted to do something with burlesque. It’s a way to combine theatre, singing, dancing, costumes, and mad creativity.

MSW: How did Rock and Hose get its start?

Alita D’Bone: One of the members of Lustsluts moved to Taipei and we became good friends. I told them I wanted to do a show and we looked for other performers, one of whom was Onyx who is a member of Rock in Hose now. We formed a short-lived group called Rockin’ Hoes and did one show at Paris Nightclub for Halloween in 2008. It was so amazing that when the couple left, I had to have more. Onyx was on board from the beginning, so we formed a troupe. Her roommate Kitty N. Heat joined us. Then we hooked up with Duke Vita and Trixie Treatz and Rock in Hose was born. Later we added a final member, Amor Galore, who will unfortunately be leaving us after our upcoming tour and Spring Scream.

Photo by Olivia Wychech

MSW: Tell me about the name…

Alita D’Bone: Well, we rock, in hose – we actually have quite an array of hose, from solid colors to fishnets, stripes, and animal prints. Really, I wanted a name that had a double meaning – one that our grandmothers could read in print without getting offended, that was funny and had another meaning when said aloud. As a writer I’m a fan of word plays – I love the name, actually. We call each other Hose all the time.

MSW: What can you say about burlesque as an art form? It’s sexy, humorous, obviously entertaining, and very powerful. What message are you trying to convey to your fans?

Alita D’Bone: I am no expert in the form, but we have all done a lot of research about the origins of burlesque – I think it is particularly appealing to us as a way to parody or satirize sexual norms. People take sexuality way too seriously. We’re coming out of the closet in a thousand outfits! We put the ho back in hose, come back into comedy, and form back in performance. It’s also great to be able to see all kinds of body types on stage, refreshingly so, I think. We have everything from petite to tall, slim to really curvaceous, youthful to more mature, delicate to strong.

MSW: How often do you get together to practice?

Alita D’Bone: Everyone is incredibly dedicated. We have the first show of our tour on March 5, and will be rehearsing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as Wednesday the following week. We generally rehearse at least once or twice a week in a dance studio with full mirrors. Since I recently moved to Taichung and we are based in Taipei, I end up jumping on the Ubus so often I should get frequent rider miles!

Photo by Olivia Wycech

MSW: Who does your choreography?

Alita D’Bone: To be attracted to this kind of theatre one has to be a very creative type as it is. Everyone comes up with their own solos and ideas for duets or group acts. Then we brainstorm together to create the skit or choreography. We’ll watch someone act out their idea and then give feedback but ultimately we respect each other’s choices. We are lucky to have an outside eye in our friend Neil Pretorius who has been an invaluable support. He’s involved with theatre back in his home country of South Africa and has assisted us with everything from props and lighting to being in one of our skits (as spider bait!) Check out our Rock in Hose Burlesque photos on facebook.

MSW: How do you choose your music? Do you have any favorites you’d like to share?

Alita D’Bone: The music is often where we start when coming up with an idea for a scene – Onyx, Kitty, and Trixie have all been invaluable when it comes to helping find music for group acts. Because we perform at so many live music festivals and nightclubs we need a pumping sound track. Sometimes a song will be the initial inspiration – for Duke Vita’s “Dolls” the powerful track really influences the emotive quality of the visual element. I worked with Shiuan Liu aka DJ SL (??) who composed original tracks for live songs that I do vocals (and wrote the lyrics) for: POGO (Put Out or Get Out), and Rockstar. The whole troupe does back up vocals as well. There are also a couple of songs that I wrote and perform accappella including Quit Smoking and Little Girl.

MWS: How do you choose your outfits? Do you have a favorite?

Alita D’Bone: It’s funny actually, when we first hooked up we all came in with ideas for costumes – and we all had basically the same idea – brightly colored tights, bustier, fishnets, and feather boas. For POGO and a machine built of our bodies called Zorba Zebra we hand made pink tutus that we pair with black and white striped stockings – that is one of our favorites. Onyx and I are always coming up with new ideas for costumes, and everyone designs costumes for their solos or duets as well. 

MSW: Do you have any upcoming shows this year?

Alita D’Bone: We are about to go on tour of Taiwan with different DJs for each show, with a mix of classic Rock in Hose act and brand new material as well. We start on Friday, March 5 in Taipei at Roxy Roots with DJ Al Burro, hit Kaohsiung the following Saturday March 13 at the Brickyard with Marcus Aurelius – which we are really excited about as it will be our first show in Kaohsiung. Then we play Taichung on March 26 at Light Lounge with DJ vDub (Shawn Kidd). We are in the middle of applying for Spring Scream and hope to have as good of a show there as we did last year, which was a blast. You can help us get in (it only takes a minute) by voting for us here.

MSW: Tell us about the process of putting a show together. How long does it take to put a show together?

Alita D’Bone: No way! That is the boring, difficult, not so glamorous part. All sweat, blood, and tears. Literally. Skinned knees and bruises in the studio, and hours online trying to promote, getting fliers designed and posters printed. The amount of work is beyond anything anyone would ever expect – but it’s all worth it when we hear the crowd screaming for more! We’ve been incredibly lucky to have enthusiastic, mad crowds at all our shows – and they are the ones that make it all worth it. We LOVE our fans, and the energy that passes between them and us. It’s like a drug.

MSW: Are you guys giving classes or workshops? Where can people get information for your classes?

Alita D’Bone: I did workshops at a resort in Thailand in the fall which were great fun and highly successful. We even managed to put on a show at the resort after only 3 days, and everyone had a really great time. Right now we are busy with the tour but you can contact us at rockinhose@gmail.com for more information. And come to the show! Live entertainment needs your support. Support Hose! Ha…

Photo by Olivia Wychech

MSW Interviews: Burlesque Dance Troupe Rock in Hose is a post from: My Several Worlds

© 2007-2010 My Several Worlds

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More than four years have passed since Hurricane Katrina hit the south, and many residents still suffer today. One group of Mississippi victims aims to get compensated by the folks they believe are responsible for all that property damage–multinational corporations. News-wire service Agence-France Presse (AFP) recently spied documents indicating that southern Mississippi residents are attempting to sue a group of greenhouse gas-emitting corporations through a class-action lawsuit. The group argues that major emitters like Shell and Chevron are to blame for fueling global warming and spurring Hurricane Katrina.

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It may sound like something cooked up in Frankenstein’s lab, but Joris Laarman has created an incredible living lamp made out of (get this) bioluminescent, living, glowing hamster cells. Called the “Half Life,” his lamp produces a soft, ambient glow using cells from a Chinese hamster enriched with firefly genes (which are what make it light up). Biochemistry, meet interior design. IT’S ALIVE!

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Malaysia's central bank on Thursday raised its key interest rate for the first time in almost four years after the economy emerged out of recession. Bank Negara said the overnight policy rate (OPR) has been raised by 25 basis points to 2.25 per cent. It last raised rates in late 2005. One economist said banks are expected to increase their lending rates as a result. "The domestic economy has since improved significantly and is now on a path of recovery," the central bank said in a statement. "Given this improved economic outlook, the Monetary Policy Committee decided to adjust the OPR towards normalising monetary conditions and preventing the risk of financial imbalances that could undermine the economy recovery process." The OPR is the main interest rate which banks use to benchmark their own lending rate. The bank said inflation was expected to remain moderate in 2010, despite the risk that higher global commodity and food prices may exert some additional upward pressure on domestic prices. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said last month Malaysia's economy has recovered from the global crisis and could expand by 5.0 percent this year. The economy grew by 4.5 per cent in the three months to December, rebounding after three consecutive quarters of contraction. - AFP

Cumulonimbus clouds observed 31°C

Humidity:

70%

Wind Speed:

10 KMH

Wind Direction:

WNW (290°)

Barometer:

1008 mb

Dewpoint:

25°C

Heat Index:

36°C

Wind Chill:

31°C

Visibility:

8 km

MELEWAR Industrial Group Bhd has appointed Suhaimi Kamaralzaman as its managing director and chief executive officer effective March 1, 2010. He succeeds Datuk Lim Kim Chuan, who has been redesignated executive director, the company said in a statement today. Suhaimi was previously the company's deputy chief executive officer. -- Bernama

Business Room. Excluding breakfast. Located along the busy streets of Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Replica Inn provides affordable accommodation for travellers on a budget with easy access to transport links. Rooms are cosy and comfortable and come with an en-suite bathroom. They are also fitted with all the basic amenities needed for a pleasant stay that include individually controlled air-conditioning. Replica Inn also offers several guest services to make your stay more enjoyable. Laundry and dry cleaning services are available, as well as car rental. If you're looking for more information on sight-seeing and tours, just enquire with the friendly staff. The hotel also has a casual cafe for meals and internet access is available in the lobby. Replica Inn Chinatown is close to several eateries, shops and entertainment options. It is also within walking distance from Puduraya Station and Plaza Rakyat LRT station, which makes travelling easy and cost effective.

MATTA Fair 2010 will be a "must-go" event next week as community airline Firefly Sdn Bhd is offering attractive holiday packages to local and international destinations. Firefly's head of marketing and communications department, Angelina Fernandez, said the airline was now able to offer more variety, including to destinations worldwide through connectivity with Malaysia Airlines (MAS). "In the previous three years, we offered only Firefly destinations but this year we are offering over 100 MAS destinations worldwide, including London, Paris and Tokyo," she said at a press conference here today. With the slogan "Kick Off Your Holiday with Firefly Holidays", Angelina said the theme would be on football as the World Cup fever was already in the air. The packages are categorised under "Striker" for the best value package deals, "Midfielder" for packages with complementary value-adds such as spa sessions, dinners and transfers, and "Defender" for free and easy packages. Another offer is Firefly tickets at RM1 to all destinations via the newly introduced Firefly Mobile application. Head of Firefly's distribution Lawrence Chai said this promotion would only be available onsite and visitors must make their purchases using their mobile phones. Angelina said following the success in last year's MATTA Fair, the airline had decided to reward customers with attractive prizes worth more than RM500,000. "There will be a 'penalty kick' for any customer spending more than RM6,000 on Firefly and MAS packages with the chance to win a Maxis-Blackberry mobile phone or flight tickets," she said. The flying simulator, which was the main attraction on last year''s event, will again be present to give visitors a chance to test their piloting skills. "The top three best piloting and landing participants will stand to win two complimentary Firefly tickets each as well as MAS tickets to Los Angeles, Istanbul and Hong Kong as grand prizes," Angelina said. MATTA Fair will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur from March 12 to 14. - Bernama

Mostly cloudy 34°C

Humidity:

63%

Wind Speed:

19 KMH

Wind Direction:

W (260°)

Barometer:

1006 mb

Dewpoint:

26°C

Heat Index:

43°C

Wind Chill:

34°C

Visibility:

11 km