A Midsummer Night's Dream is a two-act ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Felix Mendelssohn's music to Shakespeare's play of the same name. Balanchine's first completely original full-length ballet, premiered at New York City Ballet on 17 January 1962, with Edward Villella in the role of Oberon, Melissa Hayden in the role of Titania, and Arthur Mitchell in the role of Puck. They were joined by Francisco Moncion in the role of Theseus- Duke of Athens.

In addition to the incidental music, Balanchine incorporated other Mendelssohn works into the ballet, including the Overtures to Athalie, Son and Stranger, and The Fair Melusine, the "String Symphony No. 9 in C minor" and The First Walpurgis Night.

The ballet employs a large children's corps de ballet. Act I tells Shakespeare's familiar story of lovers and fairies while Act II presents a strictly classical dance wedding celebration. The ballet dispenses with Shakespeare's play-within-a-play finale. A Midsummer Night's Dream opened The New York City Ballet's first season at the New York State Theater in April, 1964.

At the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, everyone comes together to celebrate the greatest of all popular traditions in Scandinavia and especially in Sweden. The wait is high, seven kinds of flowers are to be picked, schnapps to be drunk, and everyone is dancing, dizzy - maybe there will even be a new love in the air? It is a night filled with energy, love to see eroticism where nature explodes with vitality. The line between the mortal world and the supernatural realm becomes thinner as the bottles are emptied. Traditions play on us, the world changes, and suddenly we're not sure - is that a dream?

Cast: Alexander Edman (Choreography), Mikael Karlsson (Music), Ballet of the Royal Swedish Opera