Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Ulibarri.
Emily, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My husband and I actually met when we were thirteen. We fell in love about three years later when we realized we shared a passion for dance. We would choreograph together and come home way past curfew because we were listening to music in the car dreaming up future shows! We named the business Melonlight way back in high school.
It was a play on the expression ‘to be in the limelight.’ It was a statement that we would ‘be in the Melonlight’… and it would be a creation, a spotlight, a beauty of our own making.
It took us ten years to officially open the doors. In that time we discovered the amazing art of ballroom dance. We were previously trained in ballet, modern, hip hop, etc., but strangely this ballroom dance opportunity presented itself and we ran with it. We discovered this incredible, intimate and powerful form of communication. We call it connection, but it’s really found in the craft of leading and following. It’s truly magical and we’ve been able to share it with hundreds of couples over the years.
We added to our movement expertise yoga and personal fitness. We’re movers at heart, but the vision of Melonlight was always about the stage, that spotlight, performance. My husband started producing shows, with dance, dialogue, story, multimedia. We were really discovering our voices as choreographers, writers, and ultimately producers. We’re a small team at the Melon. Our professional ensemble is five strong, plus two amazing interns. That group creates every aspect of performance from script to props, costumes, and lighting cues. We love our team and our opportunity to create over and over again.
We’re just starting our fifth season of Experience ANNA which an immersive theatrical production, a ghost story and a psychological thriller all wrapped into one frightening evening. There are actually two versions of the show. It’s really cool because the shows carry on with the same story but they can also stand alone or be seen in either order. There’s Experience ANNA: Present Day, a two hour seated show, and Experience ANNA: 1940, a 40-minute walk through show. This is the first year we’ll be running both shows, so audiences can catch both! They love it! In fact, we’re getting requests to produce a third show in the ANNA series. Our wheels are turning.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’m laughing out loud as I type! No, not smooth, but beautiful and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We ran the business for about five years in Denver before deciding to uproot our lives and move to Eureka Springs, AR. We had a business flow established but we basically had to start over, not to mention that Eureka Springs is kind of like a whole different planet than Denver. So there was a big learning curve to the scale, tourism, and cyclical economy of Eureka Springs. But that’s what we love about being in business for ourselves, the learning never stops. The obstacle is always the opportunity.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Melonlight Ballroom – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We specialize in producing original, exciting, and engaging entertainment. We love to create for the stage, and we’ve really been playing a lot with informal settings, immersion, and expanding the sensory experience for our audiences. It doesn’t hurt that we love the spooky genre; it’s so fun to scare people! But within our spooks, we have intriguing and thoughtful storylines unfolding.
We also specialize in teaching ballroom dance which includes about 30 different dances including waltz, tango, swing, Latin, etc. What we’re really passionate about teaching is the art of connection and self-awareness. We also share yoga with our students.
I have to say that we’re super good at community, what I mean is that we created Melonlight to be a sanctuary for ourselves and others. It’s a place to play, create, focus, learn, and grow, not just as performers, but as people. Our students, audiences, and community always feel the love and passion in our work. I know because they tell us over and over again. It’s pretty awesome.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Producing for the stage is kind of strange in such a digitally focused world, but I know in my heart it’s not going anywhere. It’s raw and real, and while technology will evolve, we’ll always have our bodies and voices to express with.
We have visions of producing on a much larger scale. We have stories emerging for the stages of Vegas, baby! Figuring out to up level is one of those learning curves I mentioned. There’s always more to learn in business.
I definitely see a trend toward immersion theater, performance companies are breaking traditional theater norms and creating sensory experiences. We’re glad to be a part of that expansion.
My husband and I are also bringing our work to the world with the launch of a new business called We Love Connection. It begins with Date Night Experiences delivered digitally. It’s really exciting because we get to highlight our best qualities, teaching couples to connect and creating fresh, original entertainment, and deliver them to a much larger audience, a global audience! Invigorating!
Pricing:
- Experience ANNA Tickets $20-$40
- Private Lessons in Ballroom Dance or Yoga $50hr
Contact Info:
- Address: 2 Pine St
Eureka Springs AR 72632 - Website: Melonlight.com
- Phone: 720-278-5672
- Email: movemantra@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/melonlightballroom?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1r7wpreqfrti6
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMelonlightBallroom/
Image Credit:
Raymond Ulibarri, Edward Robison
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