Expanding Buffalo’s Entertainment Scene: Underground BLO & Melinda Markulis

Buffalo will always stand by its good neighbors and even greater wings. As for the local entertainment, we have much to learn from bigger cities like NYC, LA, and Atlanta. Nevertheless, someone made it their mission to show Buffalo for how it truly shines, and they are called Underground BLO.

Melinda Markulis, founder of Underground BLO, saw Buffalo for what it was: a city yearning to express, create, and free itself from the cookie-cutter mundanity of life. We needed a push. 

“I've created a room that kind of shows you that you can. And in fact, I, like, smack that “No” out of your head so fast.”

She saw a culture where it is easy to settle for the safer option, hard to step out of the box, and be ourselves. But, in Underground BLO, dreams aren’t just there when we curl up in our beds, drifting into REM—these girls live in it. 

“And I think people needed an environment where, you know, yes, you can…and I'm going to get you there. And not just me, but all of the other people in the room…it's a very supportive community.”

Having been raised by a dad, who served as a colonel, Melinda learned lessons of discipline that shaped her teaching style.

“When we were younger...if you weren't five minutes early, you're late. If you weren't there, he left you. If you didn't do this, he'd throw it out. You know, just like, very strict. So I think a little bit of that goes into my coaching, into my program… I think that everybody respects me and loves me, because I am… [the] parent that, has boundaries [with] them ”

And although she did not have her mother for most of her upbringing, she was still a strong influence in Melinda’s life.

“She is like my twin. And I just feel her energy constantly and I feel, like, her, you know? I have a lot of, like, my mother's side; personality and look. So, she's been a beautiful guide from above in my life.”

Dancing was also a prominent part of her adolescent life. Her training began in Hamburg, New York. A humble but beautiful town a little south of Buffalo where she was taught by Denise Vaccaro.

“Denise Vaccaro. She is co-owner of Future Dance Center…she was my mentor growing up, so it was such a lucky experience to have a female…that was so intelligent and talented and creative and strong and…grounded, you know, to move me forward in life.”

Future Dance Center set the stage for her journey in dance, and afterwards, her focus on modeling. She trained in many other places; Canada, back and forth to New York, and then out to Los Angeles, slowly honing her talents. It was not until Los Angeles that she found herself dancing again and continued her training there.

Eventually, she made her way back to Buffalo, where she began her next venture as an adult. For one night, she wanted to produce a show, scouring all the talent she could find in Buffalo.

“It was meant to represent all of the underground talent that Buffalo really does hold because I truly believe that our grit, that naturally comes from weather or maybe the Buffalo Bills losing forever or economic struggles or population is small…whatever Buffalo's struggles are or whatever we want to say…it's, like, created an immense amount of creativity.”

This show laid the foundation for what Underground BLO is today. But where she should begin was the big question. That is when she acquainted herself with the downtown scene of Buffalo and met the owners of Jack Rabbit, Josh Mullin and Jake Monti. She successfully secured her first show at their venue around Christmas. During this time, most people are home with their families, for some, however, that wasn't an option.

“[They] told me that…it was the best Christmas they’ve ever had because they don’t have family…[they are] the black sheep of the family. And that night gave them an opportunity to be seen, and party, and feel celebration…that was pretty incredible that I just gave that opportunity.”

Underground BLO was leading a movement of rebellion, courage, and authenticity in Buffalo. To turn this movement into a business, Jon Eisenburg, co-owner of Bureau on Elmwood, suggested Melinda turn Underground BLO into an LLC. This opened up Melinda to a new, exciting world and where there was much to learn. Even a woman as talented as her had doubts about what it takes to lead and make a company. 

“I knew what I was doing as an independent contractor. I loved my life. I was all good…all of a sudden, I needed to open up LLCs and learn insurance.”

“Am I prepared for this? Because this is a little different. I was always a peer dancing with people, but now I'm the top dog.”

Madeline Hall, a local entrepreneur who is the face of “Buffalo Food Slut” and “MaDi Tells it All”, helped Melinda connect to other businesses. Most importantly, she was introduced to a woman named Marilyn Roach from Buffalo State University.  This allowed Melinda to take business classes without needing to be a full-time student. Just like that, her hurdle was jumped. Her idea became a business, and it was quickly gaining traction. Confusion started to grow among onlookers, many under the assumption that it was burlesque, which is incorrect. Underground BLO is closer to ‘Cabaret', which blends many different forms of entertainment to create a unique art performance, typically set in a nightclub setting.

But Underground BLO isn’t just dancing in rebellious fashion. Melinda made it for everyone in Buffalo as a way to push for creativity, face your fears, and to pursue the unattainable. She tells you that if you can come in and be able to move your body in a creative way, you can achieve anything you want; whether it is dancing, modeling, or simply building everyday confidence.

“That's not my job to push them in[to] something. It's more just to give them whatever they need to make sure that they are successful.”

“I'm here to create the environment that you can grow in, wherever you want to grow. And if you want to go on entertainment, I got all of the tricks and all the tools and I know all the secrets … I got it.”

Melinda makes her Talent train for themselves so they will be holistically stronger: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Her Talent will especially know to be comfortable in their own skin.

“There's no way you can't love yourself and throw on that mask…When you throw on that mask, you open yourself up to so much vulnerability, with good critiques, and opinions, and judgments…if you don't have that place of self-love, you can't do it. So the girls that do have the masks on…they have [their own mental] stuff…and we encourage each other, love each other, and that's so important.”

And what they feel for themselves, you can feel when an Underground BLO girl walks out on stage: she is ready to take on the world. She is fierce, resolute, and divine.

“You're just overwhelmed by the power that Underground BLO girl has on the bar.”

With each Underground BLO performance, hope starts to brew inside its dancers and audience, challenging the assumptions around our small city. With this, Melinda aims to see this impact spread beyond the show. .

“If we can just start by, like, making one person happy…maybe their happiness will make another person happy…I feel like I just changed the world with one person.”

This is only the first step for Buffalo as our current creative renaissance works to turn our home into a bigger and better city. However, this challenge shouldn’t make us think smaller about ourselves.

“Don't hold yourself back. You're probably your biggest critique and your biggest bully…why would you do that to yourself?”

She is right, and in my personal experience training with Underground BLO, that is what keeps you from being your best self. This has been one of my hardest lessons to learn, but this group revealed to me that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. That I am allowed to take up space. And the best thing? At Underground BLO, nothing is a dream; I make it a reality.