La Meri (born Russell Meriwether Hughes Jr.; May 13, 1899 – January 7, 1988) was an American ethnic dancer, choreographer, teacher, poet, anthropologist and scholar.

As she began working professionally, she combined acting, singing, and playing the violin in her performances, including in "prologues", the short live stage productions presented by movie theatre owners before the main feature was shown in the silent film era.

There she met her agent and future husband Guido Carreras, who arranged bookings for her in Mexico in 1926, Cuba and Puerto Rico in 1927, and Central and South America from June 1928 to August 1929.

[4] In the 1930s, she studied with Indian classical dancer Ram Gopal, one of the early pioneers of the dance of India in the west, who toured with her extensively.

[5][6] Throughout the 1930s she toured and studied in areas such as Central and South America, Europe, North Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, India, Burma, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Japan, Ceylon, and Hawaii.

Overall, La Meri's extensive work in ethnic dance, a term she claimed to have created, earned her the reputation of being one of the foremost experts in the field.

[1] La Meri's work helped to inspire other choreographers to show respect for dances of cultures not their own, as well as educating the audience.