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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. 
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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.
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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 Institute2016 - 2017, 2019

Cross Move Company, Oulu 2014 - 2016

Other activity

Founder and dance artist at Omiaruhje collective

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