ICE STYLE.....Aboriginal Costume Controversy: Russian Ice Dancers
Aboriginal Costume Misstep: Yay or Nay?
Welcome To Australia: Russian Ice Dancing Champions
The Winter Olympics in Vancouver are only 43 days away and there is already controversy with one of the top Ice Dancing teams from Russia. Do I even need to remind you of why I love Figure Skating? The reigning World Champion Ice Dancing team, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin from Russia have had a tough time this year and have not been able to participate in the Pre-Olympic International Grand Prix Events. But that didn't stop the Russian Federation from crowning them the Champs with a score that rivaled the best of the season (How do you say quelle surprise in Russian?)
Hey Look We Have Plants Growing Out Of Our Bodysuits!
But the real controversy was not about their scores, but about their costumes darlings. In the original dance, skaters are required to use music that is based on a national folk tune. Domnina and Shabalin chose very unusual Aboriginal music, using voices as the instruments. 
Their costumes were based on Aboriginal Tribal-wear (see above) using white body paint and red cloth "crotch covers". But then their costume designer took some Aboriginal "liberty": For some unknown reason they had leaves planted (pun intended) throughout their costume bodysuits and....wait for it....they also were in what some critics have deemed Blackface. Therefore the controversy. The skating bloggersphere forums have been abuzz over it. I think it's a bit odd and in bad taste. But I'd love to know what the rest of you think--or at least my fellow Figure Skating fans. Yay or Nay?
UPDATE: Click HERE to see what I thought about their UPDATED costumes at the Olympics, when I reviewed all the Dance Costumes with Kristi Yamaguchi and Peter Carruthers! LIVE!
Welcome To Australia: Russian Ice Dancing Champions
The Winter Olympics in Vancouver are only 43 days away and there is already controversy with one of the top Ice Dancing teams from Russia. Do I even need to remind you of why I love Figure Skating? The reigning World Champion Ice Dancing team, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin from Russia have had a tough time this year and have not been able to participate in the Pre-Olympic International Grand Prix Events. But that didn't stop the Russian Federation from crowning them the Champs with a score that rivaled the best of the season (How do you say quelle surprise in Russian?)
Hey Look We Have Plants Growing Out Of Our Bodysuits!
But the real controversy was not about their scores, but about their costumes darlings. In the original dance, skaters are required to use music that is based on a national folk tune. Domnina and Shabalin chose very unusual Aboriginal music, using voices as the instruments. 
Their costumes were based on Aboriginal Tribal-wear (see above) using white body paint and red cloth "crotch covers". But then their costume designer took some Aboriginal "liberty": For some unknown reason they had leaves planted (pun intended) throughout their costume bodysuits and....wait for it....they also were in what some critics have deemed Blackface. Therefore the controversy. The skating bloggersphere forums have been abuzz over it. I think it's a bit odd and in bad taste. But I'd love to know what the rest of you think--or at least my fellow Figure Skating fans. Yay or Nay?
UPDATE: Click HERE to see what I thought about their UPDATED costumes at the Olympics, when I reviewed all the Dance Costumes with Kristi Yamaguchi and Peter Carruthers! LIVE!
Comments
Lose the leaves.
The program itself is also messy and disorganized and does not show off dance skills very well since the costuming is so distracting. They should have watched videos of the Duchesnays' famous "jungle" number about ten times before they even stepped on the ice.
Let's stop taking ourselves so seriously. None of these young people are racist. They like the theme, they dance to it. End of story. I think they look silly, but that's an entirely different subject.
Anyway, Yabun is on again this Australia Day at Victoria Park, Sydney. Everyone's welcome - even if you decide to exact a little revenge by dressing as a Russian figure skater.
One mob!
Anyway, I am Australian, I have had enough experience with Aboriginal culture to know that this was so NOT authentic. So it's a NAY.
I think that if they had listened properly they would have gotten rid of the green leafy crap and come up with some actual Aboriginal music, and looked at some Aboriginal dance. Maybe actually meeting up with some Aborigines here in Australia would have helped? Should've at least visited Australia. I bet they've never been here in their lives.
I think they were careless and their designer or whoever was very careless.
They are offensive because in this dance they not only represented themselves as Russians but gave a misrepresentation of the very small population of existing Aboriginals and their culture.
They looked and sounded more like they suited the jungles of South America than anything else.
But definitely not Aboriginal.
The Aborigines don't have those jungle sounding drums...at all.
That's just my thought. Disappointing that they just couldn't put more effort into the "Aboriginal" theme. Aborigines also don't do the cute nose kiss thing they did at the end. That's a real Avatar moment.
i don't think it's a matter of being over-sensitive at all; it's like if i met someone new, and then they turned around and did a horrible impersonation of me after just talking to me for 2 minutes. i think in that case i would have the right to be upset, especially if they did it on global television in front of millions of people.
( WHITE CHICKS?? movie)
There was no offense meant and everyone with a brain knows it. Would it be better if the skaters and any performer just ignore everything from any other culture. What about the Americans who did the (Asian) Indian theme, The French doing the cowboy theme...the Village People doing the lumberjack and cop :o}
Not everything is meant to offend, but if EVERYTHING offends, maybe the problem is in the eye of the beholder?
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