Aydin Eyikan on His Broadway Journey and the Allure of Fire Island Dance Festival

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Hear from Broadway performer Aydin Eyikan, currently starring in MJ on Broadway, about what it's like to return to Fire Island Dance Festival.

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by Francesca Toscano

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The first time Broadway’s Aydin Eyikan performed at Fire Island Dance Festival, he began his number solo, facing away from the audience. On the outdoor stage overlooking the Great South Bay, he could feel the energy of the 400 audience members behind him. But in front of him was the water, the sunlight, the wind and the kind of view that, for a dancer accustomed to Broadway’s bright lights, allowed for a moment of calm.

“It’s almost impossible to be in your head up there,” Eyikan says. “As performers, we always talk about getting out of our own way. On that stage, you can't help it.”

This summer, Eyikan returns to that stage for a third consecutive year. Currently appearing on Broadway in the hit musical MJ, where he embodies Fred Astaire eight times a week, Eyikan came to musical theater by way of concert dance, ballet training and an unexpected decision to choose Broadway over Julliard.

Ahead of the festival’s return to Fire Island Pines July 18-19, Eyikan spoke about his unconventional path to Broadway, why the festival keeps drawing him back and what makes dancing on its iconic waterfront stage unlike anything else in his career.

You're currently appearing in MJ - already your fourth Broadway musical, but musical theater wasn't always the plan. How did Broadway enter the picture?

Aydin Eyikan : Broadway came into my life because of dance. I didn't grow up dreaming of doing musical theater at all. I was just dance, dance, dance from the age of seven.

People are going to want to punch me after I say this, but my first theater job ever was The Music Man on Broadway. I was supposed to do it when I was 16, then COVID happened, so I ended up joining when I was 18. Before that, dance was everything.

When I was younger, I really thought I was going to be a ballet dancer. I was at the final round of Youth America Grand Prix at Lincoln Center when I was 14, and I remember coming offstage after my variation and thinking, "I don't think this is for me."

Then during COVID, I auditioned for Juilliard and got in. I put my deposit down. I was going to go. And then The Music Man called me back.

I literally remember being on vacation with my family, standing on a dock looking out at the ocean, calling [Juilliard’s director of the dance division] Alicia Graf Mack and telling her I wasn't going to attend because I was going to Broadway instead. So it was kind of a crazy turn of events.

You're returning to Fire Island Dance Festival for the third year. What keeps bringing you back?

I keep returning because it is one of the most incredible experiences I've ever been lucky enough to be a part of.

I've done a lot of benefits and fundraising events, but what [Dancers Responding to AIDS’ founding director] Denise and everybody at DRA does so well is create an environment where everyone is so grateful to be there. We are grateful to be there. The people putting on the event are grateful to have us. I've never experienced anything quite like it.

As the spring rolls around, I'm already hoping I'll be part of the festival again. I joke that I'm trying to find my way into a piece every year.

And then there's the bigger picture. You know exactly what the weekend is doing. You know the impact it's having through Broadway Cares and DRA. It's an event you can feel incredibly good about dedicating your time and energy to because you know the outcome is going to provide meals and health care to people who truly need it.

From top to bottom, every detail is so thoughtfully done. I hope to be back for the next 10 years.

For someone who's never experienced it, what does it feel like to perform on the Fire Island Dance Festival stage?

It's actually insane. My first year, I started a solo facing upstage, looking straight out at the water. They had just announced my name and I was waiting for the music to start, and I remember taking in the view.

It was incredibly calming. You have all these performance nerves leading up to the show, but standing there looking out at the water, everything just settled.

The stage is reflecting the sunlight. There's a bird flying by. Maybe there's a swan floating in the distance. The wind is moving. You feel like you're a part of the wind and the sky and the ocean.

And honestly, it's almost impossible to be in your head up there. As performers, we always talk about getting out of our own way. On that stage, you can't help it. The view is so overwhelming and so beautiful that everything just flows.

This year, you're also the face of the festival. What was your reaction when you first saw the artwork?

I immediately texted everybody I know and said, "I am the poster!" Honestly, I couldn't stop smiling for a whole day.

If you've done the festival before, you've seen those posters everywhere. You've seen the key art. And if you're a dancer, you've probably had that thought at some point: I wonder what it'd be like if that were me. So when it actually happened, it was kind of surreal.

What made it even more meaningful was realizing that it wasn't just my photo. It felt like I was representing the festival. To see my face and then "Fire Island Dance Festival" right underneath it felt like such an honor.

As an artist, what feels different about dancing at Fire Island Dance Festival versus performing on Broadway eight times a week?

Well, for starters, you don't have to do it eight times a week.

But seriously, one of the things that's exciting is that it's only one weekend. It's three performances and then it's gone. Broadway shows become part of your daily life. That's not a bad thing. I'm incredibly grateful for that. But with the festival, there's this sense that it's happening right now and only right now.

I also love that every year I get to work with new people. You collaborate with dancers you haven't worked with before. You meet choreographers you've never worked with before. You build these little festival families.

Last year I worked in Reed Luplau's piece, and spending those rehearsal weeks together before heading to the island created this whole new community. That's a really special thing.

What was it like discovering Broadway after spending so much of your life focused on concert dance?

I've always looked at what I contribute to theater through the lens of being a dancer. My voice as a dancer on Broadway is paramount to me.

I'm grateful to be working during a time when there are these really dance-heavy shows on Broadway. MJ is a perfect example. I literally play a backup dancer for Michael Jackson. What better role is there for a dancer? Then I play Fred Astaire and get to dance battle Michael Jackson.

Everything I bring to theater comes from my dance training. Whether I'm performing on Broadway, doing concert dance or appearing at a festival like Fire Island Dance Festival, I'm drawing from the same artistry and the same skills. It's just being expressed in a different setting.

This year you'll be performing in Chris Jarosz's world-premiere piece. What can audiences expect?

Chris is one of my closest friends and one of my favorite collaborators. Most of the dance videos on his social media are probably me doing his choreography.

I can't give too much away, but I can tell you it's set to one of my favorite songs ever. The cast is phenomenal, and I think it's going to be an incredible way to open the festival. Chris has already shown me little bits of choreography, and even without being fully in rehearsal yet, I know audiences are going to have chills.

The cast includes Broadway performers and artists from the concert dance world, which is something Chris does so beautifully. His work really lives at the intersection of those two worlds. People are going to be pretty gagged.

Fire Island Dance Festival is about more than performance. What does it mean to be part of an event where artistry and impact are so deeply connected?

It means so much to me. One of the first things that comes to mind is the fact that we're doing this on Fire Island. As a queer person, Fire Island has always felt like a safe haven and a place where the queer community can gather and celebrate.

There's something incredibly powerful about creating art in that space while also raising money that will have a direct impact on people's lives. Throughout the entire weekend, you're constantly aware of the impact you're helping create.

Every time I perform at the festival, I'm reminded that we're not just putting on a show. We're using our art to help people. That's an amazing opportunity, and it's something I'll never take for granted.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwdance/article/Interview-Why-Broadways-Aydin-Eyikan-Keeps-Returning-to-Fire-Island-Dance-Festival-20260612)._