12/18/24
February 22, 2010
Russians Honor, Horrify Aborigines with Ice Dance: Last night's Olympic pairs ice dancing featured reigning world-champion Russians Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin performing their "Aboriginal original dance" (video), a supposed honor to the indigenous people that "seemed to borrow at random from ancient cultures through Africa and the South Pacific," according to The Australian. The routine included flesh-colored bodysuits, hair pulling, eucalyptus-stuffed loincloths, nose kisses, and lots of mugging -- all set to discordant didgeridoo music. The performance dropped them to third place and received tepid applause from the crowd. "As bad as they looked, they skated even worse," writes Christine Brennan.
"You can't be 100% authentic"
No shit, Sherlock. And it's a certainty that you can't be anything but offensive with this kind of disgrace.
posted by Spitztengle at 01:38 PM on February 22, 2010
"You can't be 100% authentic"
Nope, but it's not from the lack of trying.
posted by BornIcon at 01:42 PM on February 22, 2010
I, for one, am very offended at the British Ice skaters last night.
Making fun of native American rednecks who can't defend themselves. Shame on them. Where's Sarah Palin when you need her?
posted by cjets at 01:55 PM on February 22, 2010
I agree with chris2sy, the routine wasn't that good. I think that I would be as insulted that the routine supposedly 'honoring' my culture not only wasn't accurate, but the skating wasn't even outstanding
posted by yzelda4045 at 02:19 PM on February 22, 2010
cjets, if a figure skater in Daisy Dukes is wrong, I don't want to be right.
posted by tahoemoj at 02:31 PM on February 22, 2010
I'd heard that the Russian performance was "bad". I assumed it was just poorly judged as a response to the supposedly overly-positive review they got in the first round.
Then I saw the pictures, and read the reviews.
As a Canadian, I thank them for their cluelessness.
posted by grum@work at 03:17 PM on February 22, 2010
cjets, if a figure skater in Daisy Dukes is wrong, I don't want to be right.
What if the figure skater is paired with her brother, who ends the routine by riding her like a truck?
posted by rcade at 03:32 PM on February 22, 2010
In response, the Australian Aboriginal ice dancing team will perform a routine dressed up as, respectively, a gangster and a prostitute.
/Offended in so many ways.
posted by owlhouse at 03:46 PM on February 22, 2010
What if the figure skater is paired with her brother, who ends the routine by riding her like a truck?
You admire the obvious cultural sensitivity.
posted by etagloh at 03:49 PM on February 22, 2010
rcade, you make it sound dirty when you put it like that.
posted by tahoemoj at 04:21 PM on February 22, 2010
cjets, if a figure skater in Daisy Dukes is wrong, I don't want to be right Or, as I learned on this very site recently, Daisy Mae's.
Just one more reason why I struggle to call this particular event a sport.
posted by dviking at 04:57 PM on February 22, 2010
Both France and the British donned the western apparel. What kind of vibe we giving off?
posted by smithnyiu at 05:19 PM on February 22, 2010
What if the figure skater is paired with her brother, who ends the routine by riding her like a truck?
Congratulate them on their versimilitude?
posted by cjets at 05:40 PM on February 22, 2010
That was fabulous. Let it not be said that we lack the ability to be blindingly clueless. Wow.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 05:44 PM on February 22, 2010
Brother-sister ice dancing awkwardness has been a big deal this year because they had to do the tango.
"Our coach told us envision someone else's head is there," says Chris Reed, 20, who dances with his sister Cathy for Japan. ..."On the ice, we don't think of each other as brother and sister," [John Kerr of Great Britain] adds.
posted by rcade at 05:50 PM on February 22, 2010
"Dancing to Johnny Cash's 'I've Been Everywhere', their routine proved a real crowd-pleaser, despite failing to impress the judges."
They should have used "Dueling Banjos". Judges would have loved that.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:17 PM on February 22, 2010
And at the end of the routine she should have slapped his ass and yelled "Squeal like a pig, boy!"
posted by cjets at 08:42 PM on February 22, 2010
They should have used "Dueling Banjos".
Oh, they did.
posted by etagloh at 01:17 AM on February 23, 2010
Don't even get me started.
posted by irunfromclones at 02:07 AM on February 23, 2010
Some of these pairs are just getting warmed up. Wait till they hit the senior circuit dressed up as Granny Clampett and Mr. Drysdale.
posted by beaverboard at 03:19 AM on February 23, 2010
I was forced to watch about 20 minutes of the skating last night, as a reward I was treated to several lines from the announcers that one rarely hears at a sporting event.
"It was a nice routine, but I just don't think we got to understand what really motivates them"
"Their costumes say a lot about their agressive personalities"
and my favorite..."she had her baby when?"
posted by dviking at 08:52 AM on February 23, 2010
They must have not gotten the okay for the Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah ice dance routine in black face or something. Apart from the theme it really wasn't that good anyway...not that I understood what I was supposed to get out of it really.