DIVISION OF TIME (2025-26)
Music by Eric Nathan | Choreography by Gandini Juggling | Jeffrey Zeigler, Cello
for Cello and Player Piano (Yamaha Disklavier™ or Steinway Spirio)
DIVISION OF TIME is an evening-length work for cello and player piano, with music composed by ERIC NATHAN and choreography created by GANDINI JUGGLING. It was written for cellist JEFFREY ZEIGLER. It is an interdisciplinary union of music, movement and technology.
DIVISION OF TIME is about humanity and its relationship to numbers. It is structured in ten parts, inspired by the numerals 0 through 9 and the cultural meanings ascribed to them across human history. The work speaks about life itself, tracing a path from birth to death across its ten sections. It explores the multifaceted creativity of the human spirit, weaving a dramatic arc that is thrilling and touching, complex and visceral, poetic and humorous.
DIVISION OF TIME is animated by its central dichotomy between human and machine. The cello’s vocal expressivity and the player piano’s computer-controlled mechanical precision are put in dialogue throughout the work. The juggling performers bridge these two worlds with virtuosic ball patterns that illuminate rhythms in the music, and with dance and mime that evoke elemental human interactions and relationships. DIVISION OF TIME invites audiences to find their own meaning in the juxtapositions it presents and fundamental questions it asks about our world, histories, and relationships, both spiritual and secular.
PRACTICAL
Format: indoor
Duration: approx. 55 minutes
Touring party: 5 performers, 2 musicians and 1 technician
Age guidance: all age groups
Ideal stage dimensions: 10m x 8m x 6m
WRAP-AROUND ACTIVITIES
We have a wide range of workshops available on demand. We also offer post-show discussions with the director of the company and the performers.
CONTACT:
Michael Henson, Blu Ocean Arts: michael@bluoceanarts.com
TEAM
Composition & Disklavier programming: Eric Nathan
Choreography: Sean Gandini, Kati Ylä-Hokkala
Performers: Sean Blue, Sean Gandini, Jennifer Goggans, Erin O'Toole, Kati Ylä-Hokkala
Cello: Jeffrey Zeigler
Musicians: Eric Nathan, Jeffrey Zeigler
Photos: Jill Steinberg
Executive Production: Blu Ocean and Gandini Juggling
PARTNERS
Division of Time was commissioned by National Sawdust and VisionIntoArt, Yale Schwarzman Center, and was made possible, in part, by the Brown Arts Institute.
WATCH
Highlight Reel
Behind the Creative Process (Interview with Eric Nathan)
Performed live at National Sawdust. Recorded by National Sawdust and VisionIntoArt. Photos by Jill Steinberg.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
PHOTOS
By Jill Steinberg (view Flickr album below)
