Two World Premieres and Three Celebrated Works to Take the Stage at Fire Island Dance Festival
The festival returns July 18-20, 2025.
By: Stephi Wild May. 22, 2025
Fire Island Dance Festival will return this summer to its stunning waterfront stage with two groundbreaking, reimagined takes on world-class works; a vibrant fusion of voguing, ballroom and contemporary dance; and two bold world premieres. The festival returns July 18-20, 2025, to Fire Island Pines, NY, with dynamic performances set against a sweeping stage overlooking the Great South Bay. Beginning this Saturday, May 24, tickets will be available to purchase in person on Saturdays from 10 am - 1 pm and 4 - 7 pm, and on Sundays from 10 am - 1 pm in the Fire Island Pines harbor. Tickets also are on sale at dradance.org/fidance.
Bringing together a diverse mix of established and emerging talent, the 30th anniversary of this annual weekend is produced by and benefits Dancers Responding to AIDS, a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The Fire Island Dance Festival weekend is composed of an opening performance at 5 pm on Saturday, July 19, a Leadership Supporter sunset performance at 7 pm on Saturday, July 19, and a closing performance at 5 pm on Sunday, July 20. An exclusive Leadership Event kicks off the festival weekend on Friday, July 18.
The initial performers set for this year’s festival include:
- Tony and Olivier Award winner Matthew Bourne making his Fire Island Dance Festival choreographic debut presenting a romantic male duet, an excerpt from his groundbreaking and tradition-shattering Swan Lake
- Emerging choreographer and So You Think You Can Dance finalist Braylon Browner debuting a deeply personal world premiere solo
- Award-winning director, choreographer and creative producer James Kinney premiering a dynamic opening number showcasing his Broadway flair with a rock ’n’ roll energy
- Masterz At Work Dance Family sharing an excerpt of a vibrant work by Black, trans, femme choreographer Courtney Washington, blending voguing and ballroom with the foundations of contemporary dance. The piece premiered at last fall’s Hudson Valley Dance Festival.
- Christopher Wheeldon, Tony and Olivier Award–winning choreographer whose work has been featured in numerous Fire Island Dance Festivals, presenting his acclaimed pas de deux This Bitter Earth. For the first time the role on pointe will be performed by nonbinary dancer Ashton Edwards, with soloist Christopher D’Ariano, both from Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Additional artists will be announced soon. Performers are subject to change.
On Saturday, May 31, Fire Island residents and visitors will be treated to a special pop-up performance with a new work from choreographer Jakob Karr, who is currently nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his Ain’t Done Bad. The pop-up will take place as ferries arrive and leave between 4 pm and 8 pm in the heart of Fire Island Pines harbor.
Leadership Supporters can begin their thrilling festival weekend experience with Friday night’s Leadership Event at Whyte Hall on July 18. The exclusive event will feature festival favorite MOMIX, the dynamic and athletic dance company renowned for its visually captivating artistry. MOMIX’s return for the festival’s milestone 30th anniversary is especially significant, as the dance company headlined the first Leadership Performance, marking a full-circle moment in Fire Island Dance Festival history.Leadership Supporters also enjoy highly coveted tickets to the sunset performance on Saturday or priority seating at either 5 pm performance, as well as recognition on printed materials in the harbor and throughout the Pines. Leadership tickets start at $395. Individual tickets for the 5 pm performances are $195.
Take the hustle and hassle out of your Fire Island escape with our day trip package, featuring round-trip transportation from New York City, a champagne luncheon and tickets to the 5 pm performance on Sunday, July 20. A Sunday VIP option, which includes the champagne luncheon and tickets to the Sunday show without transportation, also is available. The day trip package is $350; the Sunday VIP option is $275.
Since its debut in 1995, Fire Island Dance Festival has raised more than $9.2 million to help provide lifesaving medication, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance to those in need in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Fire Island Dance Festival is generously supported by corporate sponsors The New York Times and United, the official airline of Broadway Cares.
Dancers Responding to AIDS relies on the extraordinary compassion and efforts of the performing arts community to fund a safety net of social services for those in need. As a program of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, DRA supports the essential programs of the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund), including the HIV/AIDS Initiative and The Dancers' Resource, as well as more than 450 AIDS and family service organizations nationwide. For more information, please visit Dancers Responding to AIDS at dradance.org, at facebook.com/DRAdance, at instagram.com/DRAdance and atyoutube.com/DRAdance.
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