Aborigines Offended By Ice Dance

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.

Maybe it is because that is not my culture that i don't see this as a big deal. I don't see this duo mocking a culture, if anything it is showing appreciation for it. With that said I also don't know how accurate, or in-accurate it is or what amount of research went into the planning and choreography of the routine. Sure it is always a gutsy move for Russians to us this as an adaptation to work from but sometimes there are groups that are over sensitive about this type of cultural crossover.

This was my thought when Vancouver decided to go so heavy with their aboriginal tie in with this Olympics in Vancouver. Embrace Canada as a whole is fine by me, to segregate it is just asking for trouble. Just like the addition of aboriginal artwork to the Canadian Maple Leaf on the Hockey Teams Jerseys.

"The ripping off of our art and songs is not (respectful), and nor is this depiction of my culture," Manton wrote. "Our dance, our ceremony and ... our designs and images have evolved over 60,000 years. We're understandably fond of them, and we don't like seeing them ripped off and painted onto someones body for a sporting contest." a chairperson of the Aboriginal Land Council in New South Wales stated

Was this Dance relay that bad? You be the judge