Joffrey Ballet Ensemble.
Images Courtesy Cal Performances. Photos by Cheryl Mann

→ West Coast Premiere of Alexander Ekman’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” takes place April 17 -19. Tickets at calperformances.org

For over a century, Cal Performances has been bringing world-class theater, music, performance and dance to the campus of UC Berkeley. Each carefully curated season succeeds on multiple fronts - delighting Bay Area audiences, pushing boundaries and upending expectations - all while reinforcing the presenters’ longstanding dedication to artistic excellence.

But Cal Performances isn’t just a dazzling line-up every year. At its core lies a heartfelt desire to foster long term artistic relationships. In their dance programming track, companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Mark Morris Dance Group have been in creative exchange with Cal Performances for decades and decades, including as part of the current 2025-2026 season. Another esteemed dance partner is The Joffrey Ballet, under the leadership of The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE. No stranger to Cal Performances, the past nine years has seen a deepening and expanding of the pair’s relationship.

Founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino along with the company spent many summers in the Bay back in the 1970s. It was an experimental time – a time of creation, of dreaming, of choreographic possibility – resulting in a number of new works which came to be known as the “Berkeley Ballets.” Since that time, the troupe has been a returning favorite, frequently present in the Cal Performances annual dance roster. Fast forward to 2017, when a new multi-year residency was established between the two entities. In 2017, 2020 and 2022, the Joffrey brought three unique, eclectic, mixed repertory programs to Zellerbach Hall, with an array of choreographic visions including Justin Peck, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Christopher Wheeldon, Stephanie Martinez, Nicolas Blanc and more.

During this initial residency, Jeremy Geffen joined Cal Performances as the new Executive and Artistic Director (in 2019). And Geffen and Wheater realized quickly that this was just the start of something bigger. “When Jeremy took over, we met and started talking about the future,” Wheater recalls, “I have so much respect for him, his passion for all the arts and his vision of bringing the best to the Bay Area.” Geffen suggested to Wheater that they consider an even longer partnership, and a second residency was born, with the goal of bringing something new every other year to the West Coast. In 2024, the Joffrey presented the first project of this second residency: the Bay Area premiere of “Anna Karenina,” by San Francisco Ballet’s Choreographer in Residence, Yuri Possokhov. An epic full-length narrative, elaborate sets and costumes, a large ensemble cast, all with the Berkeley Symphony performing live. A massive undertaking that was also a huge success!

True to the second residency’s intention, it is now two years later and the Joffrey is poised to return in April. This time, with the West Coast premiere of Alexander Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, which premiered in 2015 on The Royal Swedish Ballet. “Even before we came with “Anna Karenina,” I was sure, maybe even adamant, that Berkeley audiences had to see “Midsummer,” shares Wheater, “the West Coast doesn’t really know Ekman’s choreography very well and they really should.” When “Midsummer“ debuted in Stockholm, Wheater traveled there to witness it in person, and was immediately struck by its inventiveness, immersiveness and Ekman’s incredible physicality. Fellow Swedes added to the experience with their stunning musical contributions: a brilliant score by Mikael Karlsson and avant-garde vocals from Anna von Hausswolff. Taken as he was with the work, Wheater knew that staging “Midsummer“ stateside would not be without its challenges, “I sat down with our Advancement team and said we’re going to do this, but we need to be very clever about marketing so that viewers know that they aren’t entering the world of Shakespeare and Mendelssohn.” Instead, this Midsummer explores the Swedish midsummer solstice, which in 2026 falls on June 21. “The longest day of the year is a huge celebration in Sweden, with beautiful customs and festival traditions,” Wheater explains, “and Ekman’s choreographic take on that occasion is so genuine, authentic and heartfelt - such an escape for what’s happening in the world right now; a true tonic that shows the beauty of humanity.” “Midsummer“ begins in that celebratory spirit and then takes a potent turn into another realm, “partying a little too hard or a little too long often comes with a consequential price, and the dreamy, intoxicating second half speaks to that reality.” Joining the Joffrey at Zellerbach Hall are von Hausswolff, Swedish percussionist Niklas Brommare and company pianist, Jorge Ivars, helping bring these epic scenes to life through Karlsson’s equally epic score.

The Joffrey has since performed the piece twice in Chicago to great acclaim and Wheater cannot wait to share it on the West Coast. “Because I was at San Francisco Ballet for nineteen years, the Bay Area holds an amazing place in my heart; to have the opportunity to bring the Joffrey to a place that is a part of me, personally and professionally, is so special” he says, “the community here has truly embraced us for who we are and are so curious about what we’re going to do next.”

And that next chapter is already in its planning stages. After bringing two full-scale narratives, Wheater believes Joffrey’s next Cal Performances program will likely be mixed repertory. A chance to showcase new choreography and new music by young talent, possibly even a new commission. Whatever that program ends up being, it will certainly be a divergence from Ekman’s “Midsummer“. So, in order to experience that artistic contrast, Wheater has this call for Cal Performances patrons, “I encourage everyone to buy a ticket to see “Midsummer Night’s Dream”; come and engage with the Joffrey Ballet in Zellerbach Hall and have the most marvelous time!”

In April, Joffrey’s The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE will receive Cal Performances Award of Distinction in the Performing Arts.

→ West Coast Premiere of Alexander Ekman’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” takes place April 17 -19. Tickets at calperformances.org