From the Independent (U.K.) (thanks to E.D.):
It was certainly an arresting performance: the Russian world figure skating champions, clad in dark-toned bodysuits and red loincloths, performing a routine based on an Aboriginal dance. It won Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin a gold medal at their national competition last month. But in Australia, Aboriginal leaders were not amused.
Russia’s Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin perform their Aboriginal ice skating dance that has outraged Aboriginal leaders in Australia
The Moscow-based pair, who plan to repeat their performance at next month’s WinterOlympics in Vancouver have been accused of gross insensitivity and cultural theft.
Sol Bellear, from the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council, described the dance as “very offensive”. “We see it as stealing Aboriginal culture, and it is yet another example of the Aboriginal culture of Australia being exploited.”
The Russian routine includes ceremonial dance steps, performed in costumes adorned with eucalyptus leaves and white swirls representing traditional-style body paint. But the designs, according to Bev Manton, chairwoman of the Land Council, are “no more ‘authentic’… than the shiploads of cheap ‘Aboriginal’ tourist trinkets that pour into our country from overseas”.
As if offending the custodians of an ancient culture were not bad enough, Domnina, 25, and Shabalin, 27, have also been accused of appropriating the idea from rival Australian skaters, Danielle O’Brien and Greg Merriman.
The Australian pair staged their Aboriginal-themed routine at a competition in Korea in 2008. But, according to the The Agenewspaper, that was only “after spending a year in consultation with the indigenous community to ensure their performance,music and costumes respected Aboriginal culture”.
So what research did the Russians – world champions last year, European champions in 2008 and three times national champions – conduct? “We’ve watched video clips on the internet of these dances, and it really is like this, complete with the leaves around the knees,” Domnina told the ice skating website Golden Skate.
She said: “We did not want to create another Slavic dance and have considered a lot of options, including Scottish folk. But eventually we settled on this one. I thought it was just crazy, but once we have tried it, we immediately fell in love with it.”
The pair, who turned heads when they unveiled their routine at the Russian figure skating championships in St Petersburg, are favourites to win gold in the ice dance competition in Vancouver. Their Australian rivals failed to qualify because of injury.
Ms Manton told The Age: “Aboriginal people, for very good reason, are sensitive about their cultural objects and icons being co-opted by non-Aboriginal people, whether they are from Australia or Russia. It’s important for people to tread carefully and respectfully when they are depicting somebody else’s culture and I don’t think this performance does.”
Mr Bellear, who plans to protest to the Russian ambassador in Canberra, said: “It’s absolutely been stolen without our permission, and without consultation of the relevant dance groups within Aboriginal Australia. It’s not just intellectual property; it’s straight-out cultural theft.”
The authenticity of the music has also been questioned. Local media say ice skating fans have identified the track as having been composed by Sheila Chandra, a Briton of Indian descent.
The Russians are to perform their Aboriginal dance today at the European championships in Estonia.
Turtle Talk 
Sheila Chandra did not grant permission for her music to be used in the performance. She is a racially aware woman of dual heritage and would never condone such use of her music. Her label ‘Real World’ have been informed of this infringement.
The young couple who performed the peice were ill advised but this is not the first time the Olympic commitee have overlooked a racial faux-pas.
The Beijing 2008 Olympics were soured by appauling human rights abuses in China at the time, not to mention the exclusively ayrian Olympics of 1936 Berlin.
As the working class citizens of East London are jilted from their homes to make way for 2012 Games, questions could be asked as to the humanitarian integrity of the Olympic Commitee.
Ignorance is no defence.
If someone appropriates another’s culture in a wide public forum – is it not correct to at least consult with people before appropriating their culture?
Obviously it’s OK to violate (due to ignorance) – if that violation is against an Aboriginal person.
Do any of you know what ochre is?
It’s the sacred clay gathered to “paint up” before corroborees of spiritual significance – marking initiations and cermonies of major importance. it is never used lightly, and never just slapped on without meaning. The mere fact that someone thinks it’s quite fine to mis/use symbols and the meaning of ochre is offensive.
If you just don’t get it – this performance is akin to a couple of skaters coming out in hijabs because they think it looks good (without consulting with a single Muslim person) – or dancing in priest’s robes because they like the way the black material swishes. How do you think the Muslims or Catholics would react to that?
So why now is the attack against Aboriginal people in defence of their spirituality and culture?
Imitation is the highest form of flattery!
I’d like to confirm that this use of my music went ahead without my knowledge or consent and the two skaters concerned are guilty of copyright infringment.
I vet all requests to use my music very carefully, and would never have given permission in this instance.
Real World Records have today instructed their lawyers to write to the skaters via the Russian figure-skating federation to inform them that their use of the music without permission is illegal, that we want them to stop all future use of my music for this routine and that we object to its possible use in the upcoming Winter Olympics.
I’m wondering if it’s really so much about “stealing culture” as the aspect very few seem to want to mention: that the body suits are brown along with the white “paint” markings and leaves obviously intended to allude to the darker skin color of the Australian Aborigines.
If the body suits matched the skaters own skin color or if they simply painted white marks and leaves on their own skin, would there be any controversy? The brown in the body suits make it performing in darkbody: a kinda weird twist on darkface. It definitely comes off as mocking and yes, racist: the word no one seems to want to say so they are saying “culturaly insensitive” and “stealing culture” instead.
Out of all the cultures in the world why did they have to choose the furtherest culture from their own country when they have a fair few to choose from from their own country and they could have at least followed protocol and asked but im pretty sure its still against lore to exploit Aboriginal culture like that.
Regarding Daybreaq’s comments – I agree that the mere fact that people believe they can take/steal/misappropriate sacred culture IS racist.
As Aunty Bev Manton said in her full response to this – that the skaters used dark body suits puts them on very shaky racial ground.
As a Ngarrindjeri person myself – I disagree that using ochre, leaves etc without dark bodysuit would lessen the controversy.
Ir you read my previous post – use of ochre or paint in such a context, is offensive and ignorant of the significance of these markings.
The markings have great import and spiritual power, which may work for or against you. They are NOT just interesting body paint.
This is not to say no-one else uses ochre – indigenous and non-indigenous peoples around the world have for many thousands of years.
However, in such an obvious display of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander “costuming”, the lack of any form of consultation or protocol is arrogant and ignorant at best.
Why take the culture of people you haven’t even met? and what I think is worse is that they aren’t Australian. What right do they have to the culture of a land they don’t belong to!