I was at the Walker yesterday for a matinee performance of Between the Fire and Ice (Mjollnir II), presented by Joe Chvala (pronounced like koala!) and the Flying Foot Forum with special guest Ruth MacKenzie. Try to imagine a forward slash through the “O” in Mjollnir.
The work pulls from Nordic and Teutonic myth to explore the way our modern world collides with those ancient mythologies. I don’t think that I actually got most of it. I could recognize a few key players, like the gods Odin and Loki. I liked the idea of life beginning between the two extremes of the world: the world of ice, Niflheim, and the world of fire, Muspellheim. I think I would need some Cliff Notes to get any deeper with this.
I loved the dance/fight choreography between the two rival queens, Kriemhild and Brunhild, in the world of ice. It was so gorgeous, and Ruth MacKenzie provided a stunning vocal background. Ruth was accompanied by two other vocalists, and the three of them looked like the Muses, Furies, or the Fates – depending on the scene.
Muspellheim was full of sharp choreography and percussive work. The battle of Ragnarok was really menacing. My first thought was that it would be the perfect set for a Nine Inch Nails show circa Pretty Hate Machine and Broken.
Disclaimer I should have put at the beginning of the post: I know very little about performing arts, and the Performing Arts department will probably be embarrassed by me and this post. But only if they find it.
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