
Meri Salmela
Dance artist
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Meri Lonkila
Dance Artist / Dance Teacher
Education: Master of Arts in Dance
Dance Teacher BA
Based in: Finland
BIO Meri Lonkila is a freelance dance artist and a dance teacher based in Finland. She thrives on collaboration and is keen on working together with artists across different fields.

Meri creates work that is multidimensional and ambiguous. Her practice is movement driven and focuses on exploring rhythm and musicality. Powerful high impact movement and expressive minimalism are the two extremities that attract her and searching for ways to combine them keeps her in a constant state of flux, searching for a stage of delicate strength.
In her work, Meri is drawn to explore themes that arise from everyday life as well as strong emotions such as shame, anxiety, and rage. She enjoys twisting, morphing, and distorting them into relatable and recognizable yet abstract performances. She strives for making authentic, honest, and generous work.
Meri is a co-founder of the multidisciplinary artist collective Omiaruhje, which is a place for four creative minds to fulfill their artistry and create diverse work together.
Work as a Dance artist
2024 Omia ruhje tour in North Ostrobothnia, Finland
Omia ruhje, Omiaruhje collective, Cultural Centre Caisa, Helsinki, Finland
2023 Tar and other matters, chor. Emilia Ahopelto and
Meri Lonkila, Redfest, Alles-sur-Dordogne, France
2022 Temper Tantrum, a dance short film, chor. Meri Lonkila
Omiaruhje, Espoo, Finland
2021 Melt, chor. Meri Lonkila and Milla Kurronen
Porvoo, Finland
2018 XYCLONE, chor. Joshua Sailo and Meri Lonkila
New Blue Emerging Dance Festival, Toronto, Canada
2018 Re:Action, chor. Simon Beyer-Pedersen
JoJo Oulu Dance Centre, Oulu, Finland
Grants
2023 Finnish Cultural Foundation: For Omiaruhje
collective to excecute a tour in the North Ostrobothnia
2022 Arts promotion centre Finland: Covid grant, 2 months
2021 Arts promotion centre Finland: Covid grant, 2 months
and 3 months
Work as a Dance Teacher
Laajasalon opisto, Dance programme, Helsinki 2023 ->
Vapaa Tanssikoulu, Helsinki 2019 - 2023
Helsinki Dance Institute, 2016 - 2017, 2019
Cross Move Company, Oulu 2014 - 2016
Other activity
Founder and dance artist at Omiaruhje collective