An Aboriginal-themed routine by two Russian ice dancers has stirred up a pre-Olympic controversy, with some indigenous Australians blasting the “rip off” of their culture and Canadian native leaders worrying about the insensitivity of the skaters. World champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin danced at the European Championships in Estonia last week dressed in brown-toned costumes adorned with leaves and white Aboriginal-style markings, to music that included a didgeridoo riff. “It's appalling,” said Bev Manton, chairperson of the Aboriginal Land Council in New South Wales state. “The whole thing was a poor effort. They could have provided more respect to our culture by doing more research.” Domnina has said that they researched their dance by watching online videos of Aboriginal dances. Manton, a member of the Womiri people, said Sunday she wasn't concerned by the idea that the Russians wanted to perform an Aboriginal dance as much as their inaccurate portrayal.
