About

Selva is a non-profit cultural association founded in 2021 by Rosana Ribeiro and Verena Pircher in Salzburg, Austria. The association produces, promotes and distributes the work of choreographer Rosana Ribeiro as well as research and teaching activities delivered by her, Verena and artistic collaborators.

Team

Rosana Ribeiro

Verena Pircher

Melissa Ugolini

Rosana Ribeiro

Choreography

Rosana approaches her choreographic work from a sensorial place. She looks for plural meanings in her narratives and on how these can give the audience the opportunity to make sense of a concept but at the same time create their own experience.

Together with these ambiguous narratives - the body, movement & created atmospheres are all vehicles for sensorial expression and communication, creating a graphic world that also takes inspiration from alternative comic books. Through their slow paced tempo, where each square reveals the texture and motion of a single scene, graphic novels create a world which the readers can fully immerse themselves in. On stage, the added layers of movement, presence and ephemerality are the ever changing reality that brings a 360-degrees-view to the work. The colourfully intense costumes, props and lights add to this dystopian world and live in symbiosis with one another.

Rosana is a Portuguese/Brazilian choreographer and performer based in Salzburg, Austria. Her artistic journey began at the Circus School Chapitô in Lisbon followed by a BA in Contemporary Dance at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds, UK.

In the course of her career she has performed with Jean Abreu, Hofesh Shechter, Cie.7273, Paulo Ribeiro, Companhia Instável, James Wilton, Charlie Morrissey, Kim Brandstrup, São Castro & António Cabrita, Editta Braun, among others. She has also recurrently worked in opera productions at the Royal Opera House, English National Opera and at the Barbican Centre.

She was the Cultural Programmer of the festival Jardins Abertos (Open Gardens) in Lisbon from 2017-2022 and as of 2022 she is an associate member of the tanz_house Salzburg. This year, Rosana has collaborated and choreographed for the production "Oryx & Crake" directed by Daniela Kerck at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.

@ Bernau-Photography

Verena Pircher

Devising Performer Selva, Mycelium

Born in Salzburg, Verena embarked on her artistic journey by studying at Codarts University of the Arts (Rotterdam). After graduating in 2016, she worked with the Swedish dance company Norrdans, where she was involved in works by choreographers such as Jose Agudo, Peter Svenzon and Mari Carrasco. In 2018 Verena became a certified teacher of Anouk van Dijk’s movement method Countertechnique. Apart from teaching international workshops she is teaching students at the Bruckneruniversität in Linz and Orff Institut at Universität Mozarteum. As a freelance dancer and production manager Verena is currently collaborating with Birgit Mühlmann-Wieser, Hildegard Starlinger, Potpourri and INFLUX network. In June 2020 she also assisted choreographer Anouk van Dijk at Münchner Kammerspiele. In 2021 she co-founded the association Selva in Salzburg.

Melissa Ugolini

Devising Performer Selva, Rehearsal Director Mycelium

Melissa graduated from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds (UK). After graduation, Melissa worked as a freelance dancer with numerous international choreographers and eventually joined the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet, touring the world for many years. In 2017 Melissa moved back to Europe and started a long-term collaboration with the performer and choreographer Aakash Odedra. Melissa currently shares her practice through workshops in Italy, UK, Turkey, Iran and India, whilst collaborating creatively with several fellow artists and being a full-time member of the Münchner Kammerspiele (DE), Aakash Odedra Company (UK) and Cie7273 (CH).

Jadwiga Mordarska

Tomaž Simatović

Sara Chéu

Jadwiga Mordarska

Devising Performer Mycelium

Jadwiga Maria Mordarska was born in 1997 in Cracow, and began her dance training in Vaganova ballet technique, jazz, modern dance, rhythm, and folk dance at the age of five.
In 2016 she received her dance diploma from L’Art De la Dance Academy in Cracow as well as “The Diploma of professional dancer” conferred by the Association of Artists of Polish Scene in Warsaw. She was hired by Ludowy Theater in Cracow and worked with them for four years in three different pieces.
In 2016 she began her contemporary dance education at SEAD- Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance working with numerous international teachers and choreographers.

Right after graduating from SEAD in 2020, she became a member of TRAK Dance Ensemble Salzburg, performing a duet choreographed by Barnaby Booth and collaborating on various projects. Simultaneously she began teaching contemporary dance as well as BASITM Pilates training in order to become a certificated BASITM Pilates teacher.

Tomaž Simatović

Devising Perfomer Mycelium

Tomaž Simatović is a choreographer, performance artist, and improviser. He graduated in dance performance at SEAD, and gained his MA degree in choreography at ArtEZ Arnhem. As a dancer Tomaž performed with editta braun company, Susan Quinn, Andreja Podrzavnik, Hubert Lepka, Erik Kaiel, Uwe Bertram, and Georg Blaschke. Since 2012 Tomaž collaborates with Mirjam Klebel and composer Matej Bonin. In his autonomous yet collaborative performance practice Tomaž has been developing performative, experimental and interdisciplinary works. His practice has been presented in Europe, USA and Eastern Asia, in the form of performances, lectures, workshops, and writing.

Sara Chéu

Costume Designer Selva, Mycelium

Originally from Portugal, her artistic path began by studying at the Circus School Chapitô, followed by a Masters in Performing Arts at the FCSH. Sara has been developing her own artistic language and performances through a variety of creation in Portugal. When relocating to Brussels, she worked as assistant director for Radouan Mriziga at the Kaaitheater. In 2019 she began her studies in Historical Costumes for Theater and Cinema at EFP in Brussels and has since then designed the costumes for the short films La Protagoniste by Sarah Carlot Jaber and Marianson by Thierry Knauff.

Peter Kastner

Cristovão Cunha

Danny Rico

Peter Kastner

Composer & Sound Designer Selva, Mycelium

Originally from Klagenfurt, Peter holds a Master's degree from the LA Music Academy. He co-founded the label Bad Owl in Los Angeles where he has produced, played and collaborated with a wide variety of artists. Recently relocated to Vienna, he is a full time member of the band Karmic and I Am Flora Fauna.

Cristovão Cunha

Light Designer Selva


Cristovão began his artistic path in 1997 at Teatro da Academia and at Teatro Viriato in Viseu. His has collaborated with a variety of artists such as Madelena Vitorino, Circolando, Paulo Ribeiro, Tânia Carvalho, Filipa Francisco, Romulus Neagu, Leonor Keil, John Mowat, Rosana Ribeiro, Rui Catalão, Miguel Castro Caldas, São Castro and António M Cabrita. He is currently the technical director and lighting designer for Dançando com Diferença, Yola Pinto, Miguel Castro Caldas, Sónia Barbosa, Produções Independentes and Jardins Efémeros. He was also part of the tours as technical staff for Marlene Monteiro Freitas and Jonas&Lander.

Danny Rico

Content and Dramaturgy Support Selva, Mycelium

Daniel is an Austrian pianist, drummer and composer based in Salzburg. In 2012 he graduated from the Klagenfurt Conservatory of Music
with an MA in Jazz and Classical Piano. From 2011 to 2020 he lived and worked in London and Lisbon. Apart from his solo work he has
toured, composed, recorded and performed drums and piano internationally with artists including: Andreya Triana, Derek Trotson, Dani
Siciliano, Ray Warleigh, Stroy, Mathias Krispin Bucher, Ro Bergman, Army of One, et.al. He has also composed the music for various dance productions and plays drums for the “Steaming Satellites”.

Furthermore, he studied Romance languages in Salzburg and works as a copywriter and translator.

Philipp Rirsch

Caro Eisl

Heide Tömpe

Philipp Rirsch

Video Artist

Philipp Rirsch studied Film at the Friedl Kubelka School for independent film in Vienna. In 2014, together with childhood friend and photographer Fabian Rettenbacher, they founded Studio p.o.t.f., an independent art space in the Center of Vienna. His main approach to Film and Photography is through analog material, which is mostly developed by hand in the Studio.In 2019 he created the online community radio station Radio Rudina.

Caro Eisl

Graphic Designer

Caro Eisl is a freelance Graphic Designer and Art Director. After spending two years in Milan, Italy she came back to her hometown Salzburg, Austria where she founded her design studio „Design Caro“ that is specialized in Corporate, Editorial and Print Design for international brands, institutions and companies. The female led studio develops meaningful brands for sustainable companies and artists with a profound understanding of aesthetics and design.

Heide Tömpe

Light Designer Mycelium

Mag.a Heide Tömpe MA, is an Austrian Lighting Technician/Designer, living in Steyr/ Upper Austria. Since 2000 she is working and cooperating with various cultural institutions and partners in the Performing Arts field such as Salzburger Festspiele, Mozarteum Salzburg, Szene Salzburg, Arge Nonntal, Wiener Festwochen, tanz_house Festival, Dance in Kortijk, Kunstnetzwerk Ohne Titel, Theater Ecce, Odeion Salzburg, Lawine Torrén, Bodhi Project and Museum Arbeitswelt Steyr. She is also a teacher at SEAD Salzburg and Mozarteum Salzburg.