Instagram story viewer> @midsommar.dans> Tagged

Midsommardans Festival

@midsommar.dans

undefined

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

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

516

33

22

0

Filming the Documentary for the Midsommar Dans Festival has been one of the most magical and grounding shooting I had done.
Discovering the world of Ballet Dancers, its beauty and getting to know so many ambitious and talented people has been one of the greatest experiences I have ever had.
Thank you Emma and Lily for the incredible trust you put in me and thank you to all the rest of the dancers and people who joined and helped for this incredible festival.

COMING SOON🦋

3

11

The joy of the past few weeks has been the culmination of more than a year of work between Emma and myself, our first formative experiences assuming leadership roles, and an outlet for artistic and personal ambitions, frustrations, and ideas. But, more than anything, it’s been a shared childhood dream come to fruition.

There are so many people to thank. Firstly, the entire community of Grinda has pitched in to a touching degree. Notably, Jan and Jonas have supported our vision for the past 9 months, & so kindly integrated us into the Stockholm archipelago’s summer offerings. It has been a pleasure to perform on this beautiful island… and we can’t wait for more❤️

There are many whose roles don’t fit into neat categories but have made indelible contributions: Darcy’s tireless work designing, supporting, music operating, coming-up-with-solutions-ing, Sophia for inimitable organization and clear headedness, and Jack for a constant stream of encouragement, plus fabulous, hungrily devoured meals for 12. The entire Wheeler and Peta family joyfully embraced the twists and turns of our endeavors, notably cutting nearly 2,000 pieces of foam as we built a sprung floor from scratch. We lucked out with a lovely group of dancers who were game for anything (and an extra shoutout to Alex, for being a diligent and ever kind partner!) More thanks are in order to Oskar for a thoughtfully crafted score, Anna for graciously granting us her glorious piece Quartet (and for her expert coaching!) Caterina for masterful work documenting the process and performances…and many more, but to all, thank you!

But lastly and most importantly: Emma, my best friend, who I admire fiercely and love wholly, has made every minute of the very many minutes we spent working on Midsommar hilarious, joyful, and empowering. Ultimately, I see MD as an embodiment of the richest friendship I know; playful, collaborative, and always loving.

I am grateful beyond words. See you next summer😊

3

39

+ SOMMAR 2026 +

Snart bär det mot sommarens konserter!
Solokonserter, ’Rest’ med @siriannaf, Vallåtscirkeln, högmässa och uruppförande av Epariter, ett beställningsverk till Midsommardans Festival som blandar vallåt, koral och polska med EPA-dunk, skogsrave och kvartstonsdoom. Ser fram emot detta, hoppas vi ses!

foto: @mikagrinell.foto

77

1

This June, the Stockholm Archipelago will become the stage for a new dance festival:
Midsommardans, whose inaugural season is led by a women-led team of emerging artists.

Held on the island of Grinda during Sweden’s Midsummer celebration, Midsommardans brings
together an international group of dance artists for a weekend of performance, artistic dialogue,
community engagement, and celebration. Founded and directed by dancers Emma Wheeler and
Lily Peta, the festival was conceived as a platform for young artists to explore, collaborate, and
present work outside conventional performance spaces.

Drawing upon Sweden’s distinctive geography and the ephemeral beauty of its light-filled
summer, Midsommardans is an artistic extension of the Swedish celebration of light, warmth,
and rebirth. The festival’s mission is rooted in an exploration of how dance and music can evoke
this tangible joy and, through a partnership with Skärgårdsstiftelsen, is committed to natural
preservation and accessibility in its performances.

As artists and audiences gather amid the landscape of Grinda on June 20, Midsommardans offers
a compelling example of how a new generation of cultural leaders is reimagining the relationship
between performance, community, and environment.

Learn more @midsommar.dans, www.midsommardans.org

#Midsommardans #DanceFestival #EmergingArtists #WomenLed #StockholmArchipelago

299

4

This June, the Stockholm Archipelago will become the stage for a new dance festival: Midsommardans, whose inaugural season is led by a women-led team of emerging artists.

Held on the island of Grinda during Sweden’s Midsummer celebration, Midsommardans brings
together an international group of dance artists for a weekend of performance, artistic dialogue,
community engagement, and celebration. Founded and directed by dancers Emma Wheeler and
Lily Peta, the festival was conceived as a platform for young artists to explore, collaborate, and
present work outside conventional performance spaces.

Drawing upon Sweden’s distinctive geography and the ephemeral beauty of its light-filled
summer, Midsommardans is an artistic extension of the Swedish celebration of light, warmth,
and rebirth. The festival’s mission is rooted in an exploration of how dance and music can evoke
this tangible joy and, through a partnership with Skärgårdsstiftelsen, is committed to natural
preservation and accessibility in its performances.

As artists and audiences gather amid the landscape of Grinda on June 20, Midsommardans offers
a compelling example of how a new generation of cultural leaders is reimagining the relationship
between performance, community, and environment.

Learn more @midsommar.dans, www.midsommardans.org

#Midsommardans #DanceFestival #EmergingArtists #WomenLed #StockholmArchipelago

582

13