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[Pickman]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/27/europe/russian-ice-skating-holocaust-trnd/index.html

A Holocaust-themed ice skating routine on a Russian reality television show, involving the wife of a high-level aide to President Vladimir Putin, has sparked outrage around the world.

In the routine, set to Israeli singer Noa's "Beautiful That Way" from the film's soundtrack, former Olympic ice skater Tatiana Navka and her dance partner Andrei Burkovsky dance in the striped pajamas and yellow six-pointed stars which Jewish victims of Nazi concentration camps were forced to wear.

What the fuck were they thinking? How does this get past anyone on a production team? They had to have seen it being rehearsed. Wardrobe put together those costumes.

Is this a culture gap thing? How?

 

[darkwing]

USSR doesn't care

 

[Yaboosh]

It might be a difference in how they view ice skating. Were they sincere?

 

[Piston Hyundai]

m-maybe they're doing a routine where they were prisoners put in jail for stealing sheriffs' badges

 

[Majine]

Any routines about the Gulag?

No?

Ok.

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

A Holocaust-themed ice skating routine on a Russian reality television show, involving the wife of a high-level aide to President Vladimir Putin, has sparked outrage around the world.

oh

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Russia surprises world when they do entire Springtime for Hitler play on ice. Talk about class.

 

[The Jackdog]

russia is just the worlds wrestling super villian

 

[RandomHopeInc]

I feel that Russian culture is a bit cut off from the world so there's more a tendency to do stupid things like this so no I don't think anybody would think to stop them. Not to excuse this behavior of course, its horrible.

 

[Guevara]

It's just like what Marx said; history repeats: first as tragedy, then as figure skating theme.

 

[dvolovets]

I feel that Russian culture is a bit cut off from the world so there's more a tendency to do stupid things like this so no I don't think anybody would think to stop them. Not to excuse this behavior of course, its horrible.

As someone who grew up in a Russian Jewish family in the US, this is very offensive and completely off-base.

 

[Escape Goat]

Was there a story in the dance? Or just two people dancing to some tone deaf pop music?

 

[ClosingADoor]

The act was based on the award-winning 1997 Italian film, "Life is Beautiful," which tells the story of a Jewish father who tries to hide his son from the horrors of the Holocaust through humor and games.

It seems they put the film into their dance. Considering in the end the man is going towards the light and gets shot, leaving the woman alone holding a child.

Was there a story in the dance? Or just two people dancing to some tone deaf pop music?

Video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3FsrjBASNY It uses music from the movie and it's not just dancing.

 

[Fuchsdh]

Was there a story in the dance? Or just two people dancing to some tone deaf pop music?

From the article:

In the routine, set to Israeli singer Noa's "Beautiful That Way" from the film's soundtrack, former Olympic ice skater Tatiana Navka and her dance partner Andrei Burkovsky dance in the striped pajamas and yellow six-pointed stars which Jewish victims of Nazi concentration camps were forced to wear.

At the end, Burkovsky is heard being shot as Navka stands alone, looking grieved.

I mean, an ice skating competition might not be the best venue but getting upset about the mere idea of this is akin to saying "she's doing an interpretive dance about something horrible! Stop her!" There's nothing inherently distasteful about art dealing with something horrible.

 

[Quixzlizx]

Considering Russia had the highest body count caused by Hitler, and also liberated some of the concentration camps themselves, I don't think they can claim "cultural ignorance."

 

[ShaoranWright]

m-maybe they're doing a routine where they were prisoners put in jail for stealing sheriffs' badges

Was there a story in the dance? Or just two people dancing to some tone deaf pop music?

Parents knowing that they are facing certain death trying to give their child one moment of happiness before the father is murdered by the Nazi's.

 

[AlteredBeast]

Sparked outrage is the new way to say, "40 people complained on Twitter."

I see no problem with one artform tastefully using the horrible things in humanity's past to tell a story. This wasn't Springtime for Hitler or other schlocky nonsense, it looks like a straight homage and retelling of LA Vita e Bella...

If anything, things like this continually help millennial s and the like to not forget the past. This shit happened 70 years ago, not hundreds or thousands like many atrocities of the past, 70...

 

[Kettch]

Was there outrage over the film that the routine was based on, or is it just because it was adapted into an ice skating routine?

I don't really see a fundamental problem with this, as long as it's respectful and tells a meaningful story. I would have to see it and know more details to give a more informed opinion though. I could be totally off base and it could be a joke reality show that's making fun of stuff, but I think it's perfectly possible to tell a serious story through ice skating.

 

[WorriedCitizen]

I don't see a reason why the holocaust should be off limits for artistic expression. I'm not sure a reality show is the right format to present it in a tasteful way tho.

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

I don't see a reason why the holocaust should be off limits for artistic expression. I'm not sure a reality show is the right format to present it in a tasteful way tho.

It isn't off-limits, but with incidents like that the public would obviously expect you to handle the content carefully.

 

[itxaka]

So this wasnt a joke nor they were trying to ridicule it but they were interpreting the same stuff as in the movie, which looks to be about the suffering on the concentration camps?

Then why is this news? Is it because RUSIA!!! or what? I dont really understand this tbh?

 

[Kinyou]

Was there outrage over the film that the routine was based on, or is it just because it was adapted into an ice skating routine?

It's apparently a critique the movie faced (according to wikipedia), I don't really know how offended those people were though. I know that Mel Brooks really doesn't like it.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

It isn't off-limits, but with incidents like that the public would obviously expect you to handle the content carefully.

Does "carefully" mean "guaranteeing that nobody in the whole world is offended"? Because that's not possible.