Russian Dancers Accused of Cultural Insult and Disrespect Over Outfits
jonathanturley
Olympic skater outfits continue to trigger protests. First there was the controversy over U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir’s wearing real fur as part of his outfit, here. Now aboriginal advocates in Australia are protesting the costumes of Russian ice dancers Oksana Domnina and Maksim Shabalin. While I thought Weir’s costume was the ugliest that I had seen, that was before I saw the Russian costumes. I am not sure if it is a case of “cultural offense” but it is certainly offensive to the eye. The costume is shown in the linked articles below.
Not only do the costumes sport a bony aboriginal style but the original dance includes a didgeridoo riff, Russian officials insist that they are trying to honor, not degrade, the culture.
