Paul Siegel

Dancing with Light: Breaking New Ground in Performing Arts

In 2010, I helped bring Dancing with Light into the world. It premiered at the Digital Art Festival in Redmond, WA, as a groundbreaking exploration of dance and animation resulting in one of the first mixed media performances of its kind. The performance featured a live dancer, Melissa Farrar, performing a duet with a projected digital avatar. The collaboration fused choreography with cutting-edge technology, creating a mesmerizing interplay of human movement and digital art.

The project began in 2009 when I approached Melissa with the idea of integrating animation and live performance to push the boundaries of the performing arts. With her choreography and performance at the heart of the piece, we secured funding through a 4Culture grant, turning this concept into reality. Melissa described the project as an opportunity to broaden the performing arts’ reach and appeal to new audiences by merging traditional techniques with digital innovation.

During the performance, the audience experienced a darkened room, with Melissa dancing behind a scrim. This setup allowed the projection of the digital avatar to shine while preserving the immersive quality of the work. The result was a seamless fusion of live performance and projected animation, captivating audiences with its originality.

My Role:
The idea was a brainchild of mine that emerged in 2008 when I conceptualized the piece and sought out funding through grant applications. Upon getting a $5,000 grant from 4Culture I began guiding and coordinating the project from inception to execution. I handled the branding, music licensing, talent scouting, managed the production’s creation, brought fx & egineers into the fold and ensured every element of the performance aligned with the artistic and technical goals. By bridging creative and technical domains, I facilitated the integration of motion capture, projection mapping, and dance into a unified, impactful performance.

Two years after the premiere of Dancing with Light, a completely unrelated performance using the same name appeared at TED 2012. A testament underscoring the visionary nature of the original 2010 performance.

Digital Graffiti: Where Art, Technology, and Dance Collide

In 2008, I conceptualized Digital Graffiti as part of the Digital Art Festival in collaboration with the city of Redmond, WA. This interactive installation transformed a blank wall into a living, glowing canvas, blending technology, music, and motion into an unforgettable experience of collaborative creativity.

The idea for Digital Graffiti emerged while brainstorming fun and engaging ways to celebrate digital art’s potential for interactivity. I reached out to Amir Stone, then an engineer at Adobe, to develop a custom tool that could capture real-time webcam feeds, process them through custom software, and project the output live onto two walls, creating dual interactive canvases. The project became a centerpiece of the festival, breaking new ground in the way audiences could participate in and experience art.

Accompanying the projections, a live DJ played energetic dance music, turning the installation into an open-floor celebration. Glow sticks were scattered across the floor, encouraging festival-goers to pick them up and dance, twirl, and "paint" with light. The live visuals responded to their movements, creating a feedback loop of motion, music, and light—a living piece of collaborative art that blurred the boundaries between creator and spectator.

My Role:
As the lead organizer of the Digital Art Festival, I developed the concept and collaborated with Amir Stone to create the necessary technical infrastructure. My responsibilities included coordinating with city officials, securing resources so that Digital Graffiti both innovative and wildly engaging.

The success of Digital Graffiti demonstrated how art and technology could merge to create communal, interactive experiences. By combining real-time projection, dynamic music, and spontaneous creativity, the project became a defining highlight of the 2008 Digital Art Festival.

From Prince of Persia to Consulting for a Prince

Dreams of becoming a game designer began during my childhood, playing games like Zork on a monochromatic IBM PC running DOS and later Prince of Persia when I got my first EGA graphics card. Moments of wonder that planted the seeds for a lifelong passion. That passion turned into a career in March of 2000 when I began working for Microsoft Game Studios, contributing to the release of four titles for the launch of the original Xbox console.

Over the next two decades, I had the privilege of helping launch and publish more than a dozen games, apps, and web applications (and prototypes) for Disney, SOE, Nickelodeon, WildTangent, and Discovery. My expertise spans 2D texture creation, 3D gameplay design, and a variety of roles ranging from generalist game artist to Technical Art Director. I also worked for independent developers and startups all of which gave me a comprehensive view of video game development.

One of my proudest achievements is showcased in the hockey game (2003) on the right, where I was given complete control over lighting, shaders, and textures managed artists and memory budgets and worked closely with graphics developers to achieve the final look. I successfully tackled the challenge of making "white on white" elements read clearly while highlighting material differences—such as white shiny ice, white worn ice, white reflections in the ice and white costumes. Through that project I also helped pioneer real-time global illumination and real-time occlusion contact shadows. Something that would only find its way into games several years later.

My journey in the industry culminated in 2021, when I was fortunate to join a high-profile project leading the prototyping of a game called Astro Nomad, commissioned by Prince Salman of Saudi Arabia. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to apply my skills at the highest level of the industry. Completing that contract marked the conclusion of my career in game development, closing a chapter that began with childhood dreams and ended with consulting for royalty.

A Journey in Product Design and Manufacturing

In 2012, I conceptualized and launched Armature Nine (or A9-RIG), a revolutionary line of articulated manikins designed to elevate artistic and educational practices. The A9 figures were groundbreaking, earning multiple patents and setting a precedent as the first mass-produced 3D-printed product globally. Today, these manikins are crafted and assembled in-house in Washington, with thousands circulating internationally across over 60 countries.

The inspiration behind A9 was to create the most versatile and proportionately accurate artistic manikins available built entirely with snap-fitted parts. The A9 bipeds remain unparalleled, achieving every pose humanly possible while maintaining precise anatomical proportions. Over the years, they’ve become invaluable tools for diverse professionals: sketch artists for perspective reference, painters for light and shadow studies, sculptors for quick maquettes, animators for stop-motion studies, and photographers as props or subjects. Beyond the arts, they’ve found roles as visual aids in yoga, massage, dance, anatomy education, and even as innovative teaching tools for children and grandchildren.

These manikins’ modularity and adaptability extend beyond their function. Scaled to the conventional 1:6 ratio, they can be accessorized with ease and customized to suit specific needs. With configurations spanning human figures of various ages, animal quadrupeds, and even mythological creatures, A9 invites endless creative possibilities.

My Role:
As the creator and designer of Armature Nine, I’ve overseen every aspect of the journey—from ideation to manufacturing. My commitment includes producing each figure with meticulous care, developing efficient processes for shipping and customization, and maintaining accessibility through features like a lifetime warranty for select models. The direct relationship with the end-user has been integral to A9’s success, ensuring quality and continuous improvement through user feedback.

The journey of A9 is far from over. These figures continue to evolve with each iteration, preserving their exclusivity as limited-edition creations. With their unparalleled accuracy and versatility, Armature Nine remains a testament to how design and innovation can inspire creativity across disciplines and around the globe.

The ONE Show & Beings of Light

In 2010, I was approached by Aly Rose for an ambitious collaboration to help pre-visualize The ONE Show. The project was to feature an awe-inspiring fusion of dance, music, and aerial choreography at an unprecedented scale. This groundbreaking project was spearheaded by Aly Rose, a visionary choreographer and Associate Arts Professor of Dance at NYU Shanghai. Over the course of several years, I worked closely with her to integrate my expertise with her artistic vision.

My Role:
My involvement initially centered on designing tools that allowed Aly to choreograph complex aerial movements. The tools offered precise control over pitch, yaw, and roll, empowering her to orchestrate a network of cranes in sync with 95 dancers. I later went on to help her with a project titled "Beings of Light" involving a physical previsualization of the performance. I ZBrush sculpted 150 figures which were later 3D Printed and became the foundation for the installation piece.

The installation, showcased in 2021 at NYU Shanghai, featured semi-translucent 3D-printed sculptures of the dancers arranged within an illuminated space. The sculptures refracted light in mesmerizing patterns, creating an immersive experience that allowed audiences to engage with the performance in an intimate and tactile way.

It was an honor to work with Aly Rose and her team, contributing to a project that celebrates the universal spirit of beauty through the transformative power of dance and technology.