THE TEAM

INVESTIGATORS

Dr. Virginia Kuhn, PI, is a Professor of Cinema in the Division of Media Arts + Practice at USC. Her work centers on visual and digital rhetoric, feminist theory and algorithmic research methods. Kuhn joined USC in 2005 after successfully defended one of the first born-digital dissertations in the United States, challenging the ethics of representation, as well as archiving and copyright conventions. Her books include Shaping the Digital Dissertation: Knowledge Production in the Arts and Humanities (Open Book Publishers, 2021) and Future Texts: Subversive Performance and Feminist Bodies (Parlor Press, 2016). She has also published several peer-reviewed digital collections: The Video Essay: An Emergent Taxonomy of Cinematic Writing (The Cine-Files, 2016); MoMLA: From Panel to Gallery (Kairos, 2013) and From Gallery to Webtext: A Multimodal Anthology (Kairos, 2008).

Selwa Sweidan (MFA), Co-PI, is a Media Arts + Practice PhD student at USC. Her work probes embodied methods, and automated systems that complicate use. She conducts movement, and systems-based investigations, and makes biodegradable objects, digital prototypes, movement scores, digital poems, open tools, and speculative films. Her research has been published in the Internet Policy Review Journal, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Journal, and the Design Research Society.

KEY ADVISORS 

Dr. Heather Culbertson, of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering whose research focuses on the design and control of haptic devices and rendering systems, human-robot interaction, and virtual reality. Dr. Culbertson will advise on the design of the computational analysis including selection of an open source computer vision library, any mapping of the algorithms, and the assessment of data markers. 

Dr. Alison D’Amato, of the USC Kaufman School of Dance, investigates generative and indeterminate notation in order to explore the relationships between choreographic authority, inscription, agency and the archival. Dr. D’Amato will advise us on the programming of rehearsals, and the review and selection of topologies to be used in our kinetic analysis.

Dawn Stoppiello (MFA), is an Associate Professor of Practice, with a focus on Dance and New Media, at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. She is a conceptual artist whose primary material is the human body in action. With composer Mark Coniglio she co-founded Troika Ranch, a critically acclaimed performance ensemble that has been innovating and experimenting with computer technology in live performance since the late 1980s. 

Dr. Kimiko Yamada is faculty in the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. She specializes in orthopedic-, neurologic-, lymphedema- and oncology-related disorders with a particular emphasis on how movement aids healing. Dr. Yamada will advise us on the rehearsal and capture process in terms of its fidelity to the biological systems involved in the movements. 

MOVEMENT ADVISORS/INSTRUCTORS

Osseynou Ngom is originally from Senegal and is a devout Muslim, a hard working individual providing for his family in the US as well as his large family back in Senegal (responsible for over 20 people). Although he couldn’t continue school after 5th grade as his family sent him fishing in The Gambia, he is a succesful autodidact, learning his ways each and every day.

Vanessa Verdoot aka Vanessa Neva (MA) is Founder and Artistic Director of PiYoDa Flow. After teaching dance and wellness full-time in public and private schools for over fifteen years, Vanessa decided to share her passionate knowledge of global citizens education to her community. Prior to being an educator, Vanessa worked in the entertainment industry as a performer, then moved to New York to tour worldwide with various dance companies. When her son turned two, she retired from performing and focused on developing her program: Dance and Global Consciousness. Vanessa was one of the first bgirls in Belgium (94'), moved to LA in 2000, B.A. from UCLA, M.A. from NYU Tisch, in addition to teaching Dance all over the USA, she has taught Yoga and Pilates at the European Parliament for two and half years. As a founding dance educator at the Geffen Academy at UCLA, she learned what it takes to get an institution started. Connecting to the higher spirit through dance is what drives her. 

Victor Wilson (MSc) is a fitness trainer with 36 years of experience mastering the art of Tai Chi. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Victor runs his own fitness studio and has worked all over Southern California, teaching a variety of classes such as Yoga, Pilates, Capoeira, Resistance Training, Athletics, Soccer, and Hip-Hop, but his favorite thing to teach is Tai Chi. Victor is the inventor of Mat Tai Chi, and was a Junior Instructor and Advanced Student of Tai Chi, while studying with the first Tai Chi master to be inducted into “Black Belt Magazine’s Hall of Fame,”  Marshall Ho’o. Victor has an undergraduate degree in psychology, a master’s in kinesiology, attained a master's degree in Gerontology at USC. He shares his preventive measures and coping strategies to empower people throughout their lives. Victor encourages everyone to try Tai Chi or any meditative activity.

DANCER

Valerie Chen ('24) is a USC Kaufman School of Dance student trained in classical, modern and hip hop dance, with a passion for exploring the intersection of dance and new media. As a performer, she captivates audiences with her precise movements and dynamic energy.

MOCAP  PRODUCER
Jay Borgwardt (’22) is a creative technologist with a passion for creating interactive media installations. Jay's work utilizes new media to broaden people's horizons and to effect social change. After graduating from the Media Arts and Practice Program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Jay joined Spectra in Los Angeles, where Jay continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in the field of media arts.

ANIMATOR
Leon Peter Cruz (MFA '21) is a 3D artist and animator who brings characters to life with immersive experiences. He has expertise in 3D modeling, character rigging, UV texture mapping, lighting, animating, simulations, rendering, and virtual reality. Leon holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Entertainment Art and Animation, cum laude, from California State University Fullerton, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Animation and Digital Arts from the University of Southern California.

DATA ANALYST
Siddharth Byale (MSc - Dec. '23) is a computer science professional with expertise in Python, Java, C/C++, and various libraries and frameworks. He has contributed to impactful research at Mayo Clinic and excelled in data science internships at Reliance Jio Infocomm and Reliance Industries. Siddharth's technical skills include named entity recognition, cipher text classification, automatic timestamp generation, and Android application development. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Mumbai and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Computer Science at the University of Southern California.