When Melanie Michalak was young, she started dancing and riding horses. That led the Tinley Park resident to a career as a dressage musical freestyle designer.
“I have been trained in the elements of music as well as the elements of dressage,” she said. “It’s a happy marriage of music with horses. Basically, I choreograph dances for horses. I also do the music for that.”
Michalak, who originally lived in Chicago’s Rosemoor neighborhood, grew up in South Holland and also lived in Country Club Hills.
The lifelong student of music began playing instruments as a child.
“I started at a place in Chicago at 103rd and Western called The Music Center. I started with accordion. Because of the music theory involved in that instrument, I moved on to learn about a lot of other instruments,” said Michalak, who also plays guitar, harpsichord, viola, double bass and mandolin.
As a high school student at the former Seton Academy in South Holland she participated in choir and the madrigal program.
“Madrigals became my passion. When I went to college, I learned that I love theory and competition as well. I wound up becoming a choral director at Evergreen Park High School for 30 years, specializing in Renaissance,” she said.
“We were successful there. We won first place in state competition for all 30 years, so I was honored to teach those wonderful kids and work with their families and all that. I decided after losing my mom and sister-in-law in a short span of time that you never know what’s going to happen.
“I decided to move into this parallel career, which I had been doing since 1989. I had no idea it would explode the way it has. I travel all the time.”
Michalak, who has won more than 200 U.S. Dressage Federation Horse of the Year and All-Breeds awards since 2014, has worked with riders from six countries and been the featured dressage clinician for events such as Midwest Horse Fair.
She also has designed freestyle routines for competitions including Extreme Mustang Makeover, Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show, World Championships for Icelandic Horses in Helsinki and Western Dressage Association of America World Championship Show.
“The real joy is seeing something evolve from when we started to design it into something that is a blend of the athleticism and beauty of dressage with the magic of the music. It elevates it,” said Michalak, who often collaborates with recording engineer Donn DeSanto of Bass Place Productions in Evergreen Park.
“That creative force is something you can’t deny. I feel so privileged to be able to continue to work in a field I love and continually discover new things. I enjoy helping people realize their dreams.”
One of her clients is the Tempel Lipizzans in Lake County for which she initially did music and choreography for a solo in a 2009 show at the request of then-head trainer Jochen Hippenstiel.
“I had a wonderful time doing it,” Michalak said. “It was my first time there. I remember being awestruck by that opportunity.”
She was invited back for work including a pas de deux, which is a performance for two riders, and the Tempel Lipizzans’ Christmas show in 2022.
The latter was by request of program director Esther Buonanno, granddaughter of Tempel and Esther Smith, who in 1958 founded Tempel Farms, which is billed as one of only a few places where rare Lipizzans are bred, trained and perform on the same property.
“I had never done any show that had as many elements as this did. I’d done freestyle shows where each rider has their own freestyle and they come in and do their own thing,” said Michalak, whose own horse, Doncan, is a Danish Warmblood.
“I’ve done competitions. I’ve done the Pan American Games, the U.S. Olympic Trials and the North American Youth Dressage Championships for junior and young riders, but I had never done anything that required that many things done together, that had connective tissue from start to finish.
“When I did the Christmas show, it was well-received. I remember Esther asked me right at the show if I would be interested in putting on a 65th anniversary show for them.”
Dancing Through the Decades features music ranging from jazz and doo-wop to patriotic arrangements.
“I went from doing one thing for their shows periodically to doing their own Christmas show and then helping them to develop the concept for this 65th show. This was a huge project that took four and a half months. It was a blast and I’m honored to do this,” Michalak said.
“The show at Tempel Farms provides the opportunity for you to see all the different elements of a horse’s life from birth through the most elevated training. It’s spectacular.”
Tempel Lipizzans presents “Celebrating 65 years: Dancing through the Decades!” at 1 p.m. Aug. 20, 23 and 30 and Sept. 3 and at 6 p.m. Aug. 26 at Tempel Farms, 17000 Wadsworth Road, Old Mill Creek.
Each performance is followed by a self-guided tour of the stallion stables. Tickets are $25-$95 and can be ordered at tempelfarms.com. For information, call 847-244-5330.
“I’m incredibly humbled to have this opportunity. I read the book ‘White Stallion of Lipizza’ by Marguerite Henry’ when I was a little girl and saw all those illustrations,” said Michalak about illustrator Wesley Dennis’ work.
“When I was young I had the privilege of meeting a guy who is legendary in the training of the Tempel Lipizzans, Alois Podjajsky. I was in awe of him. He was in a Spanish riding school uniform. He said, ‘Little girl, I can tell you will be a great rider someday. I took that to heart.
“This whole environment, the whole mission, the whole program is like touching history. To have a small part to play in that is unbelievably touching and emotional.”
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
