Dance artist, teacher, and choreographer Mirva Mäkinen earned her Doctor of Dance degree from the University of Arts Helsinki in 2018. Her doctoral research explores the somaesthetics of Contact Improvisation, with a focus on values in contact improvisation and how they appear within a somaesthetic performance context. She also completed her MA in Dance at the University of Arts, Finland in 2000, and previously earned a master’s degree in Physical Education from the University of Jyväskylä.
Her artistic work is driven by an interest in flow, kinetic energy, movement rhythm, and different ways of inhabiting the body. She describes dancing as shaped by gravitational forces, falling responses, and inertia. Her choreographic, dance pedagogy, and art pedagogy practice combines artistic activity with pedagogical perspectives, creating an ongoing field of learning. Through her choreographies, she encourages creative and critical thinking while building strong artistic-pedagogical skills.
Mirva believes that art is rooted in listening and meeting one another. For her, it is an open process of interaction and learning, where we step into the unknown, take risks, and explore new ways of moving and creating.
Since 2000, she has worked as a dance teacher, choreographer, and lecturer at Kallio Upper Secondary School of Performing Arts. Over the past 25 years, she has taught at several international dance schools and professional dance companies, including Cullberg Ballet in Sweden. She also teaches bachelor’s and MA students regularly at the University of the Arts Helsinki.