Intersection: Trisha Brown and Robert Rauschenberg, Glacial Decoy (1979)

Glacial Decoy, on view in Gallery 7 at the Walker Art Center until May 24, 2026, showcases the first theatrical dance collaboration between Trisha Brown and Robert Rauschenberg. The sets and costumes now on display are part of the Walker’s permanent collection, reflecting the center’s commitment to the artists as well as acknowledging the crucial role that Minneapolis played in the development of the work.

In May 1979, the Trisha Brown Dance Company came to Minneapolis for a one-week residency sponsored by the Walker Art Center to present the world premiere of Glacial Decoy (1979); this would be her fourth residency at the Walker in five years (1974, 1975, 1976, 1979). Brown’s residencies, whether with her own company or with Grand Union, offered workshops, demonstrations, and performances, including one of her most memorable events, Raft (Group Accumulation) (1974) on Loring Pond in 1974.  

Prior to the 1979 residency, Brown received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in August 1978 to develop a new piece. Unlike her previous works, this one would be her first for a proscenium theater, which, given Brown’s previous choreography such as Raft, proved to be very challenging. In an interview from 2005 with Calvin Tomkins, Brown recalled that people kept asking her about the lighting, stage design, sets, and costumes.  She realized that she had no idea what to do about these aspects of the production. Brown’s company usually wore simple loose cotton pants and tops in neutral colors and used minimal staging or props. So, in January 1979 she wrote a letter to her friend, Robert Rauschenberg, asking him if he would be interested in collaborating with her.

Rauschenberg, a very successful visual artist and no stranger to the Walker, was a set designer earlier in his career with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. His sets and costumes for Minutiae (1954), Rune (1959), and Field Dreams (1963) among others are now part of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company Collection at the Walker. Brown met Rauschenberg when she was with the Cunningham Dance Company in the 1960s; they became fast friends, so it was natural for Brown to approach Rauschenberg about the new work.

For Glacial Decoy the artists agreed to work independently. Given that Brown contacted Rauschenberg in January and the premiere would be in May, that gave them five months to finish the work. The only rehearsals would be during the weeklong residency. In fact, the residency was the first time that Rauschenberg saw the dance or Brown saw the set and costumes. 

During the five months prior to the residency, the Walker secured the Children’s Theatre and was in touch separately with each artist. The residency would also include lectures, demonstrations, and the remounting of Floor of Forest (1970) at Coffman Union, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis campus.

The communication in the performance files is sparse, though there are poignant messages, such as Rauschenberg waiting for the theater’s dimensions in the spring and the Walker asking for more descriptive information about the new work for promotional purposes, for which it received only a vague reply.   

Given the era of landline phones and snail mail, production in the 1970s was much slower than today, and lead time was crucial. February to May was a very short window to assemble all the pieces for promotion and performance. In the end, the residency appears to have gone smoothly. Brown and Company rehearsed the dance between other activities during the first week of May, and everything came together on May 7th for the world premiere.

Glacial Decoy consists of four dancers moving laterally across the stage, appearing and disappearing on stage at various times—from one to two dancers, then three, and fleeting moments when all four are on stage together. Behind them are four huge screens projecting black-and-white images taken by Rauschenberg that rotate left to right at four-second intervals to the sound of a slide projector. Rauschenberg designed multicolored translucent costumes consisting of three parts: a full skirt with a gathered waistband, a loose-fitting waist-length top, and leggings worn from just below the knee to the ankle (a popular style of the ’70s work-out scene). The skirts and tops are a variety of shapes stitched together in muted shades of white, brown, and blue. 

The reaction from the press was for the most part positive. People puzzled over the title, Glacial Decoy—what does that mean? In the calendar copy the Walker dodged the question by stating that Brown explores the “ambiguities of language.” (May 1979 calendar) In a preview interview with Roy M. Close of the Minneapolis Star, Brown said, “He [Rauschenberg] is supplying the ‘glacial’ and I’m providing the ‘decoy.’“ (Roy M. Close, ‘Brown Troupe’s dance rule by cool concepts of structure,’ Minneapolis Star, May 4, 1979, p. 38). At the time of the interview, Rauschenberg had not arrived in Minneapolis, and Brown had not yet seen the sets or costumes. 

In the review, Close continued to ponder the meaning of Glacial Decoy, noting that the dance is “an enigmatic but attractive work.“ He continued: “Although ‘Glacial Decoy’ is only about 12 minutes long, Rauschenberg’s superlative projections make it seem considerably more complex than many of Brown’s other dances . . . If one thinks of the work’s title as consisting of two independent words, each representing the contribution of one collaborator, . . . then Rauschenberg’s projections undoubtedly serve as the decoy by drawing the audience’s attention away from the choreography.”

Of the choreography, he noted, “It is full of vigorous spins, sharp arm and leg movements, and abrupt twists, tugs and bends. At times, it is surprisingly fluid and lyrical, and gives the impression that Brown has consciously sought to soften its impact. But it never specifically conveys emotion or feeling.” Perhaps he associated the cool, unemotive side of the dance as “glacial.” Regardless of Close’s pondering of the title, he concludes his review by saying the dance is “exceedingly absorbing . . . It is, I think, an important work by two artists at the top of their form.” (Roy M. Close, Minneapolis Star, May 8, 1979, p. 32)

Mike Steele, art critic for the Minneapolis Tribune, had a different interpretation. The dance is vigorous, he notes, and the left-to-right movement of the four dancers mimics the left-to-right projection of the four images on the screens. But he adds, “The size of the images, of course, dominates the stage making it difficult to concentrate on the dancers. This effect may have been on purpose, but why? To show us that oversized photographic images dominate live performers? To test our concentration and vision? What’s to be gained?” (Mike Steele, “Trisha Brown seems to be dancing in more interesting directions,” Minneapolis Tribune, May 9, 1979, p. 23)

While the pressure of presenting a new work was over, the company had to prepare for the New York premiere at Marymount Theater in Manhattan, June 20. This gave them about a month to make any changes, the most important of which was to the costumes. 

Rauschenberg, it seems, was anxious to make new costumes, so much so that he sketched them out on the plane from Minneapolis to New York. The new costumes are mid-length A-frame dresses, pleated with a drawstring neckline and detached pleated half-sleeves worn around the upper arms. The fabric is translucent, the same as the first outfits, but the new ones are monotone in cream or ivory. The second costumes, though simpler, are also elegant, and one could imagine them providing greater ease of movement. Whatever the reason, the dress-style costumes have been used for Glacial Decoy since the New York premiere.

On a return visit and residency to Minneapolis in 1985 to present the world premiere of the Walker-commissioned work Lateral Pass (1985), the Trisha Brown Dance Company performed Glacial Decoy (1979) again, this time with the second set of costumes. The costumes from the world premiere were never worn again. 

After the dust had settled, in July 1979 Trisha Brown sent a letter to Martin Friedman, Director of the Walker Art Center, and his wife, Mildred Friedman Design Curator, at the Walker.  In it she states, “the entire residency at the Walker was of intense interest to me, …” She then expressed her gratitude and reflected on the after party which she writes was ‘perfect.’

While dance critics and scholars continue to muse over the meaning of Glacial Decoy, both sets of costumes as well as the photographic images on view in Gallery 7 are now in the Walker’s permanent collection to be enjoyed by museum visitors and critics alike.▪︎

Explore Trisha Brown and Robert Rauschenberg: Glacial Decoy for yourself. Now on view at the Walker Art Center through May 24, 2026.

Experience the work of Trisha Brown Dance Company live this fall with Trisha Brown Dance Company: Dancing with Bob: Rauschenberg, Brown, and Cunningham Onstage taking place Tuesday, Nov 11, 2025. Learn more and get tickets here.