Born in Salzburg, Austria, Verena Pircher studied contemporary dance (BA) at Codarts in Rotterdam and earned a Master’s in movement research (MA) at Anton Bruckner University in Linz. From 2015 to 2019, she served as a full-time ensemble member of the Swedish dance company Norrdans, touring works by Mari Carrasco, Peter Svenzon, Lenka Vagnerova, and Fabio Liberti, among others. Since 2018, Verena has been a certified instructor in the movement system Countertechnique, developed by Anouk van Dijk. In addition to leading international workshops in Stockholm (Danscentrum), Berlin (Tanzfabrik, Marameo), and Amsterdam (HJS), she has shared Countertechnique at companies such as Norrdans, Tanz Linz, and Volkstheater Rostock. In 2020, she assisted Anouk van Dijk & Falk Richter at the Munich Kammerspiele. Furthermore, she has shared her expertise with undergraduates at Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität in Linz, Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst (HfMDK) in Frankfurt, and Codarts in Rotterdam. Beyond her roles in performance and education, Verena holds extensive experience as a production manager for the Sommerszene Festival and the Flavourama Hip Hop & House Dance festival in Salzburg. Co-founding the dance company “Selva” with choreographer Rosana Ribeiro in 2021, she now works as a dramaturg. Currently based between Salzburg and Chicago, Verena, starting in 2024, will assume the roles of Artistic Director and Curator for the Salzburg-based PerformDance Festival. Her research is focused on the topic of kinaesthetic empathy and the role of the dancing body as a communicator in an increasingly digitalised world.
IG: @verena.moves
Classes: Countertechnique® & Movement & Performance Lab
Photo by Kim Doeleman