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Lily

@lily.peta

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living & dancing in NYC, studying @nyuniversity
artistic director @midsommar.dans

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Emma Wheeler left Ballet San Antonio after three seasons. Lily Peta finished Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Professional Division and moved to London to freelance. This past summer the two of them put on @midsommar.dans , an outdoor ballet festival on Grinda, an island off Stockholm.

Neither had produced a show before. The island’s foundation didn’t answer their first emails, and the grants they applied for didn’t come through. So Emma walked dogs for four months to help cover costs and Lily sold old leotards. Their families helped cut 2000 foam squares for the stage’s sprung floor!

Lily and Emma talk with us about how the festival came together and how it changed the way they think about ballet careers.

Link in bio.

#ballet #balletdancer #balletfestival #balletcareer #balletlife

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Newsletter call!

Midsommardans is soon to begin a quarterly newsletter, with periodic updates closer to the festival 2027. The newsletter will include long-form artist & directorial writing/essays/interviews, information on upcoming events, opportunities, and more. If you are interested, please submit your email address via the Google form in our bio.

We hope to hear from you.

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Thank you @masha_daniil … a week I will take with me always❤️

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Portraits (1/3)

An enormous thank you to the talented @filmphotography_rikako for such beautifully captured images from our rehearsals in Stockholm.🩶

From a run through of @anna.hughlett’s Quartet.

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7 weeks later 🌠

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Such a special summer. So lucky to have spent the past 7 weeks dancing in Chautauqua, forever grateful!! 🌬️

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so overwhelmingly grateful for another amazing summer in this place
i will miss all my beautiful girls so much, your inspiration, support, and love made this summer so special 🫶🫶

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Full heart❤️ Thank you CHQ!!

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From studio to stage🌟

Images from the 2026 photo archive of Midsommardans, courtesy of Matthias Zepper and Sophia Wheeler. A more extensive visual archive can be found on our website.

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And with that, my summer experience at Chautauqua School of Dance comes to a close. What a joy it’s been to spend 7 weeks in such a beautiful place, where I made amazing friends and learned from some of the greatest teachers there are.

I had the privilege to perform Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations, which was taught and coached by the iconic muse herself, Patricia McBride. It was remarkable to be taught this ballet by someone who was there during its creation, who so graciously shared her wisdom with us all.

I loved performing in Sasha Jane’s “Spring,” it was so joyful and sprightly. A new piece, “Dreamscape,” was created by Kara Wilkes, and I had a great time during the rehearsal process, watching and participating in the unfoldment of the piece.

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still here

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“What I love most about working with dancers is getting to see the music move… it gives me such a deeper understanding of my own interpretations..”

For the past two weeks, I’ve had the absolute privilege of collaborating with and getting to know these incredible artists at @chq1874

We’ve created something truly special together thanks to their talent and passion (and amazing moves!). A huge thank you to the brilliant mind and vision of @scarlett_fulton, who put this choreography together despite their super busy schedule! And of course, these beautiful moves were brought to life by @bessmillard26 , @lily.peta @molly.nyhan , and @_natalie.bowman

Also thanks to @skylarseaveyphoto for the beautiful picture (and many others!)

#ChautauquaMusicFestival #chautauquainstitution #cello #ballet dance

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