STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Not many students can say their teacher turns into a zombie punk princess at night.
Then again, not many kids have Rina Sklar Dabdoub of Port Richmond as their teacher.
By day, she spends her time in the classroom, teaching music to grade school students in Bridgewater, N.J. But when the sun goes down, her on-stage persona comes out.
Sklar Dabdoub spoke to us about what it's like to transform into Miss Rina, a dead-pan, zombie character who is the lead singer of The Flesh Junkies.
This is the second in a series of profiles detailing people leading double lives: professional by day, artist by night.
Q. What does your schedule look like?
A. I'm in school mode most of the week and we usually have performances Friday nights and Saturdays. Usually, we try to schedule Saturday shows when I'm not working my other job [a musical director at the Wagner College's Actors Children's Theatre]. Getting up early in the morning after a late-night show can be a challenge. Basically, what it comes down to is I get three personal days a year and they usually go toward performances.
Q. How do you balance both worlds?
A. When you're working with small children, you have to be on all the time. You have to match their energy and it's honestly like a performance. The band is a weekend and time-off commitment, so it doesn't interfere with my husband Jack and my day jobs. But while being in the band is fun, the most important thing is my teaching. That's what I prioritize and make sure I'm 100 percent there for my kids. If that means I'm giving a little less to the performance, so be it.
Q. Can you tell me a little more about your band. How did The Flesh Junkies come about?
A. The Flesh Junkies is a zombie, punk cabaret act mixing acting and theatrics with obscure rock from the '70s. People think that we only do the month of October, but that's just the month we get booked the most. We actually do perform all year-round.
The Flesh Junkies was runner-up in our Best Of Staten Island poll for "Best Cover Band" in 2014.
Throwback: Before The Junkies ...
Jack and Rina met through local theater and have since landed lead roles in productions like Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre's "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol."
Q. Where did Miss Rina come from?
A. The Flesh Junkies actually wasn't my idea. Jack wanted to form a band and, at the time, I wasn't really into performing. Coming from an art school, I felt actually afraid to sing. Art school kinda beat the love of performing out of me and after a while, I wanted to stop doing it. But when Jack said it would be a zombie punk band, I gave it a second thought.
Putting myself in the frame of a character really worked because I didn't have to expose myself. It was a bridge back into enjoying performing again. Since I'm singing all day long in my day job, to not enjoy doing it on my personal time was really sad. Being a part of The Flesh Junkies really brought that back for me.
Q. Do your students know you live this double life?
A. I do tell my kids that I'm in a zombie punk band. Some of them know the name, but I don't want them to search for it. Some of the searches are, uh, not appropriate for their age group. If they want to, I tell them to search for my name instead.
Q. Do you think they'd be scared to see you perform?
A. Oddly enough, we have gotten booked for a good amount of children's parties -- which I don't mind, because I love to entertain little ones and get them into rock music. The feedback I've gotten from those performances was I looked like a Monster High doll and I'm cool, so that's pretty positive.
Q. How long does it take you to turn into Miss Rina?
A. Oh, it varies. I always give myself at least two hours because there are many parts to the makeup process, each vital to the whole aesthetic of Miss Rina. I like to switch it up every now and again but her classic look is a pale face, dark eye circles and black lips.
Q. What products do you use to keep that makeup on while you perform?
A. Everything I use is from SenGence. I've been pulling this look together for years and struggled to find a brand of makeup that stays even when I'm under hot lights and moving around. They have products in deep shades of black that I need to pull my look together when it comes to my eyebrows and lips. I liked it so much, I started selling it. That's another side hustle I have.
Want to see Miss Rina in action?
For more information on how to see The Flesh Junkies, follow the band on Instagram and Facebook.
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