Dance in the Snow (Danse dans la neige), 1948

This work is part of an improvised cycle of four dance solos dedicated to the seasons, initiated by Sullivan in 1947, of which she only executed two. Instead of performing in a studio, she would dance outside, without an audience, interacting with the elements and the landscape. In the silence of the frosty day in February 1948, Sullivan’s broad gestures were echoed only by the crunching of her steps on the thick, rough layer of ice covering the snow. Photographs by Maurice Perron (1924–1999) remain the only record of the event.