Aborigines claim culture theft over Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin’s Olympic routine
RUSSIA’S world figure skating champions remained defiant over an Aboriginal-themed dance today, indicating they would use it at the Winter Olympics despite an Australian outcry.
Aboriginal elders have branded the routine cultural theft and warned it causes serious offence.
But after extending their lead at the European figure skating championships overnight Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin said they were satisfied with their performance and would only work harder to improve at the Olympics.
“Our coach offered us this music and we decided to try it. We researched it on the internet and got a lot of information,” said 27-year-old Shabalin.
“It’s wasn’t our purpose that it be especially Australian just a dance from many thousands of years ago.”
The routine features ceremonial dance steps and dark bodysuits adorned with indigenous painted swirls in white, red loin cloths and eucalyptus-style leaves in bunches.
Sol Bellear, of the New South Wales state Aboriginal Land Council, said: “It’s very offensive.
“We see it as stealing Aboriginal culture, and it is yet another example of the Aboriginal people of Australia being exploited.
“It’s been absolutely stolen without our permission and without consultation of the relevant dance groups within Aboriginal Australia.”
Former Australian figure skater and coach Belinda Noonan was also critical, saying even ten minutes spent on Google would have set them on the right path.
“They are great skaters and if they did find some inspiration through Aboriginal music than they should have been able to have the skills and the research and the team behind them to be able to transport the choreographry and the expression to the ice which they’ve not done,” she said.
“The costumes are dreadful.”
Noonan said she “couldn’t believe what she was looking at” when she saw the routine on YouTube and had sought more information about the Russian pair’s routine via email but was given no response.
“I couldn’t find a composer, the arranger was Alexander Goldstein – about the most un-Aboriginal name I have ever heard,” she said.
“I did track down what I think is the music though I couldn’t confirm – it is actually by Sheila Shandra … a UK pop star of South Indian decent.
“What I think the arranger has done is just put in some didgeridoo in a couple of places.”
Domnina, 25, and Shabalin recently told the ice-skating website Golden Skate that they created the new dance routine as something different after watching Aboriginal dance routines over the internet.
“We did not want to create another Slavic dance and have considered a lot of options, including Scottish folk,” Domnina said.
“Eventually we settled on this one. I thought it was just crazy, but once we tried it, we immediately fell in love with it.”
Mr Bellear has said he will write to Russia’s ambassador in Canberra to protest about the dance.
Seriously, you want them to go over and ask you before they use “your” dance? So who exactly, do they ask? Some random chief member who is going to speak for every aboriginal person out there when they grant you permission? Well maybe he should take it up with my Inuit friend who thinks it’s awesome.
This whole aboriginal movement thing is irking me a little bit, if you haven’t noticed. My point exactly when I bought a shark tooth and turned it into a necklace- a part-native friend informed me it wasn’t “authentic”. Hello, do I care? I made it myself. That’s authentic enough for me. But sorry, I didn’t realize you had a right to all shark teeth… just all the water and the land and the fish here in Canada.
I don’t want to get carried away (although I think I have already) but I am a big supporter of multiculturalism. But how can that happen when the sushi I make isn’t actually sushi because a Japanese person didn’t make it? If a Slovakian does the Salsa, it isn’t the Salsa anymore?
This whole dance-is-offending-me thing is a little overdone. That’s all. We do plays about how the evil white men came on Thanksgiving and gave the natives small pox. You don’t think that may offend some five year old white boy? Nope, cuz we don’t care about them.
Here’s my issue, I see ads for doritos, bubblegum, soda all using bollywood dances to sell their product. You don’t see me in outrage about any of that? Why didn’t anyone come and ask my permission?
Hell, tell Madonna I want my bindi back. Tell Mike Myers that I want 10% of all sales for The Guru. Tell Liz Hurley to take off that Saree (and any men out there who agree with me, I’m going to pretend it’s not because you want to get an eyeful of her fab tits).
This is retarded (usage of this word to further how politically incorrect I’m being right now).
And by the way, that music is Indian. So where are all the tabla drummers from India? I’d like to sign that petition too. What’s better is that if the pair went ahead and said the dance will now actually be derived from the aboriginals from Canada. I’d love to see those groups to have a go at whose culture they’re exploiting.
“Whoever heard of a Eucalyptus plant growing in Canada??”
“Those swirlies are so a symbol of the waves that wash up on Vancouver shores!”
Ugh I just want them to get over themselves.
Good for Oksana and Maxim to not pay it any heed. Because if they were Canadian, I’m pretty sure someone from the PC department would have told them to pull the dance.
Also, I can guarantee that if it were two Arabic skaters doing the dance, the critics wouldn’t have said a word. It’s the white. It all comes down to them being white. Have they ever asked a white person’s permission before wearing a t-shirt? Or a top hat? Didn’t think so. And what about the un-Aboriginalness of Alexander Goldstein? Are you just mad because he sounds Jewish? Is un-Aboriginal even a word?
Can we please stop with the owning of different cultures? I can’t say this enough:stop identifying your own personal worth with your ancestors, it only means that you’ve never achieved anything in your own life. I’d be happy if two brilliant skaters decided to use Indian culture for a dance- even if it is comical. At least it means it’s somewhat relevant to the rest of the world. And maybe they didn’t want to do exactly what you wanted for their routine. It’s their routine. They’re representing themselves. Not you. If you think it’s a stupid dance. Great. Let’s see if the judges agree.
With the second set of girls… since I left them behind last summer (not my fault they weren’t 21 in time). The little one just turned US-legal so we decided to be sinful for a weekend (like it doesn’t happen every other weekend).
Booked and ready to go. Just need to get through exams first…
So here’s something that’s really been grinding my gears. TMI on Twitter… and Facebook… and pretty much every other social networking site. I’m kind of over this whole updating-everyone-I-know-about-everything-about-my-life.
My last few facebook status updates have been general observations, lyrics from a songs stuck in my head and a funny incident that happened a few days ago. They’ve been spread out over the past few weeks and other than that, I’ve posted a few music videos that I thought my friends would be interested in seeing. I don’t know, maybe I have too much of the blogger mentality where everything is pretty much private unless you think someone else would find it interesting or have something to contribute.
Facebook and Twitter has become the epitome of self-indulgent narcissism. It’s basically a lot of egocentricity disguised as a convenient way to “keep in touch”. Lets be honest here, when you put out something like “Omg stupid bitch just cut me off! Get off the phone!” are you looking for attention or are you looking to get in touch with your 5th grade jump rope partner? Never mind the fact that maybe you should get off the phone. Not just while you’re driving but in general. Hooking up Twitter and Facebook to your mobiles was probably the worst idea ever. Not going to lie, I kind of love it since I can check on everyone from my bed but at the same time it’s given these self-obsessed idiots an excuse to spam my newsfeed.
I’m am no way a social networking fiend and don’t claim to be an expert in internet etiquette but I do live in the real world and I know what is acceptable and what isn’t. And here’s what isn’t…
1) Updating your twitter constantly. Like, constantly. With information nobody gives a crap about. Update if you want. All the time. But why not stick in stuff that I actually want to hear? You’re eating the best cheesecake of your life… cool… how does this help me in any shape or form? Are you telling me where you’re eating the cheesecake? Are you inviting everyone on your list to meet you there? Are you planning on going for a run by my house after? What part of your tweet is relevant to my life? Maybe once a day, you can put out some irrelevant information just for shits but it gets just a tad bit annoying when I’m being updated on how your shoes are killing you every fifteen minutes.
2) TMI. TMI. TMI. No, I don’t want to know that you’re having your period or the current state of your bladder. I don’t want to know your problems with your boyfriend. I don’t want to know how much of a bitch your mom is. I don’t want to know how depressed you are about your life. It’s mostly cringe-worthy because if I don’t want to hear it, I definitely don’t want to hear it on a website where about a million other people can hear it too. If you need to tell me, call me.
By the way, number two gets so much worse when combined with number one.
I have this friend who is having a hard time in her life (she’s just starting to see someone for the first time after getting out of her long relationship and she’s isn’t in love with her job anymore). This is basically how her facebook/twitter feed goes (although thank god, I think she’s realized that she can’t put up half that stuff on Facebook since everyone she has met in her life is on there but she kind of missed out on the fact that her twitter isn’t protected and there’s a direct link to it from her facebook): 9:03 AM: Waking up for another day at work. Want to kill myself. Smell if breakfast is making me sick.
10:39 AM: I hate public transport. Wish I had a car! Screw the environment!
11:02 AM: Cute fedex guy came in. Winked at me. Take me away fedex man to your fedex castle!! Hahaha
1:54 PM: Salad leaked all over the inside of my bag. Yep, today is looking like a good day. At least I get to see Jason later! Am debating texting him right now but I don’t know.
1:57 PM: Texted Jason, hope he texts me back!
2:15 PM: He texted me!
4:32 PM: Finally off work! Quickly going to fix makeup. He’s picking me up in ten
5:30 PM: Waiting for him to get out of the bathroom. We talked so much, my coffee is cold!
5:50 PM: Says he isn’t ready for a relationship right now. Can’t he see my heart breaking?
6:42 PM: Sitting next to Jason on the couch, I want to rest my head on his shoulder but I don’t want to push him.
7:10 PM: This sucks! Why can’t he just put his arm around me or something? I feel so alone and I let him pick the movie because I figured we’d just be talking but no…
8:02 PM: Having a talk with him about how I feel.
8:42 PM: I don’t understand what I should do. I feel so depressed. Why do I even exist?
9:20 PM: He wants to drop me off because he has work in the morning. I guess I’m not spending the night
9:20 PM: And I shaved my legs too!
10:13 PM: I am so upset. Why does this always happen to me? I feel so crushed.
1:12 AM: I can’t sleep. Keep thinking about him. I want my stomach to stop aching.
Just wanted to make clear that this isn’t exaggerated in any way or form. I have a few friends like these, this one actually has the same mood swings every day with the dude. I just can’t believe it. In what world is it okay to broadcast this? What if he sees this? You have got to be kidding me!
3) Being so damned negative in all your tweets. Trust me, no one wants to deal with you and your sucky life. They don’t want to be brought down by your attitude and they have more important things to worry about… like their own sucky lives.
And it gets worse when once in a while I take pity and say something like “@soandso: Aww it can’t be that bad. Nothing some margaritas couldn’t fix ?” and I get a “@me: If it were as easy as that”
What am I supposed to do with that? You want attention so you’re airing all your dirty laundry. But when I take the bait and try to chuck it in the washing machine for you, you’re not having any of it. Listen to me, no one likes a girl who wears dirty panties.
There’s probably a million more things wrong that I can think of but I’m not going to bother listing them. I’m just going to go do something productive. Like update my twitter.
22. Single. Virgin. Floating through the masses, trying to find love, beauty, the meaning of life... and maybe even myself.
