Emma Wheeler '22 Creates Midsommar Dans Festival

Emma, along with her creative partner, Lily Peta, are the founders of Midsommar Dans Festival, a dance-centered celebration taking place in June 2026 in Grinda, Sweden. Emma writes: "Inspired by the magic of Swedish Midsommar and the landscape in which I grew up spending summers, the festival will focus on bringing dancers together for creative collaboration, offering emerging artists the chance to choreograph, create, and perform directly in the natural environment of the Swedish archipelago. The seed for this project comes directly from my time at Walnut Hill, and its inaugural group of dancers will include some of my peers! The encouragement to collaborate, to think expansively, and to weave art into community life has stayed with me since I graduated."