Issues of cultural appropriation and ownership were apparent in the recent 2010 Olympic ice dancing event that required couples to perform a ‘folk dance’ originating from any culture. These dances were rife with material for discussion by budding anthropologists!
By now, the most infamous example from this particular sports event is that of the Russian figure skaters, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, who performed a ‘folk dance’ that represented their interpretation of an aspect of Australian Aboriginal culture (see the story). Their show offended, outraged and caused a certain amount of laughter across the globe as they donned Disney-like outfits that were a clear example of misguided appropriation. This took Hobsbawm’s idea of reinventing traditions to another level!
