Agi Kovacs

   My story starts in Hungary, when a nurse and a travel agent fell madly in love and had a baby. I came into this world filled to the brim with energy and a zest for life- I was a handful from the moment I could walk, I craved movement and participated in as many physical activities as I could. For years I played many sports: skating, soccer, handball, hurdles and track. I was slowly but surely driving my parents insane with exhaustion, when one fateful day my mother saw a newspaper ad that changed the trajectory of my life forever. I was going to audition for the Hungarian National Ballet Institute, so my parents took me to Budapest where I was put in a group with five hundred other children. It was a four day audition, filled with doctors and dance masters measuring and bending every joint in my body, and by the end of it all that was left of the group was me and nineteen other classmates. In the summer of 1985 I began my training at the Institute, and even at my young age I knew who I was meant to be. My days were filled with rigorous training in classical ballet, Hungarian folk dancing, and other historical dances. It was my dream life, spending hours each day learning the ins and outs of professional dancing from the Masters of the school. I studied and soloed for years, and started performing at the National Opera House before I was even eighteen. 

   This lifestyle, a constant cycle of learning, rehearsing, and performing, became everything I knew, and all I wanted to do was dance. Towards the end of my studies at the Institute, the life I knew completely changed again. The fall of communism in my country caused thousands of people to re-write their lives, and me? Well, I was bitten by a “travel bug” of sorts. I think I inherited that from my father, so I began my adventures and in 1994 I arrived in the United States. Over the next four years I had a blast exploring most of the east and west coasts, but eventually found my new home in Washington D.C. It was in this city that I met my husband, and I decided to try something new- motherhood. I had my two daughters, and they made me the happiest person on the planet. There I was at my new job, with no vacations. I was a stay-at-home mom with two adorable kids and two outrageously large dogs, and I loved every minute of it! Once my girls started attending school, I realized that I needed to find another outlet to feed my creative side again. And just like that, dance came back into my life with full force. I realized how much I had missed it, and I discovered the beauty of percussive dance. 

   I took any and all opportunities to receive lessons from as many legendary people as possible, and my desire to embody this form of dance only grew. I received a grant from the District of Columbia, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and was able to visit Ireland to learn from the source. I auditioned with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, where I was trained in Flatfooting and Clogging, American Tap, and English, Irish, Scottish, and French Canadian dance styles. After a short four months of training, I became a principle dancer with the company. I was even able to contribute my own choreographies to the running repertoire “Incredible Feet” and I spent the next fifteen years touring and performing with the group under our phenomenal director, the late Eileen Carson Schatz. Eileen was a vibrant performer, a brilliant teacher, and an even better friend- from her I gained an enormous amount of knowledge of traditional percussive dance styles that focus on being a vital part of the music. I spent years teaching American Tap, Old Style Irish dance, along with Flatfooting at different dance studios throughout the DMV. 

   As a freelancer, I spend my time traveling and collaborating with different bands and musicians. I am determined to share my knowledge and love of my craft, and perform frequently on my home turf and also abroad. In the past couple of years I have performed at music festivals- Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Shakori Hills Grassroots Music Festival, Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival, Delfest, Virginia Scottish Games, Philadelphia Folk Fest, Wheatland Music festival, Maryland Renaissance Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, also headlined the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games with the Seán Heely Celtic Band. Over the course of my percussive dance career, I have performed and taught at venues throughout DC, Maryland, Virginia, as well as in New York, Canada, Ireland, England, and Germany. I have performed many times with different groups at the Birchmere, Maryland Hall, The Creative Cauldron, The Hamilton Live, the Hylton Performing Arts center, the Kennedy Center for the Arts, and the Strathmore. I am fortunate to call some of the greats in the Bluegrass and Old Time, Irish and Scottish music scene first and foremost my friends, but also my colleagues and collaborators. 

   I believe that music is a powerful unifier, and no matter your age or background, it is for all of us. Dancing happens because music happens, and they should always be accessible to everyone. Music is a vital part of our lives, and has been throughout history. I consider it my personal goal to share the joy of expressing and exploring our own connections to the music, finding our own rhythms through the different styles we are exposed to. If you are still confused about what it is that I do, feel free to check out the videos I have posted on my site. If you are interested in working with me and or learning from me, please reach out via email! 

Thank you for visiting, and have a glorious day!