Kyran Ashford shimmies down airport tarmac, raps during boarding to brighten your day

When you drag yourself from bed to catch an early flight, or if you’ve been waiting for hours just to fly home, the airport can be the last place you want to be. But Rochester resident Kyran Ashford is here to change that.

As an operations agent at the Greater Rochester International Airport, Ashford wants to make the airport experience as fun as possible for customers. 

From shimmying down the tarmac as he directs an airplane out of the gate, to rapping his way through a boarding procedure from behind an airport desk, he’s a first-class entertainer that's now caught the attention of the region. 

"Everything I’ve been doing, that’s all a part of who I am," said Ashford. "My mother raised me to be the type of man to walk around with great character, and that people should never be ashamed of who they are." 

As an employee at the airport for about five years, Ashford now works with JetStream Ground Services servicing Southwest Airlines, doubling as an operations agent scanning boarding passes at the gate, and as a ramp agent, directing aircraft out of gates and loading luggage. His Youtube channel is full of his various music, dance or athletic performances in airport halls, some with sports or dance teams.

But a musician flying out of Rochester last week caught one of Ashford's regular tarmac dance breaks on video, he said, and now it feels like the whole world knows his moves. The video's social media views are in the millions. 

"I’m mind-blown out of this whole thing," said Ashford. "I got no sleep last night, just watching all the reviews come in."

Social media users may just be learning of Ashford's personality, but other airport employees have known of his antics for a while, said local Southwest station manager Lawrence Kleinman. 

"He makes people feel comfortable in stressful situations (like travel)," said Kleinman. "The animation is sincere." 

The main thrust behind Ashford's airport entertainment is to bring joy, he said.

'You don’t know why these people are flying out ... they could be going to a funeral," he said.

His job is done if he can give at least one passenger "30 seconds of positive vibes before you get on the plane," he said. 

STADDEO@Gannett.com