The Russian world champions were surprised to learn that elders had accused them on Thursday of stealing an Aboriginal dance idea and causing serious cultural offence.
Ice dancers Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin wore loin cloths and leaves to help extend their lead at the European figure skating championships on Thursday with a dance that has offended Australian Aboriginal elders.
The Russian world champions were surprised to learn that elders had accused them on Thursday of stealing an Aboriginal dance idea and causing serious cultural offence.
"We didn't know anything about it," a wide-eyed Domnina told reporters after scoring 61.49 points for the original dance, taking their total after two dances to 104.27 with Friday's free dance still to come.
The Russians had led by just under five points following Tuesday''s compulsory dance and they have increased it slightly to lead Italy's Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali (99.15). Russia's Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski are third (96.46).
Shabalin said they had done their homework but had never intended it to be an authentic Aboriginal dance. "We researched a lot of information on the Internet. It's just from many thousands of years ago and it wasn't our goal (to be authentic)," he said.
Sol Bellear of the New South Wales state Aboriginal Land Council told Reuters earlier in the day: "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."
The theme for the original dance was folkcountry dance and Domnina said their routine was just like all the other skaters, drawing inspiration from other countries or cultures.
"Every country should be writing to complain in that case!" she said after being told Bellear would be writing to Russia's ambassador in Canberra to protest about the dance.
"It's a competition, the theme for the original dance is folk dance." Wearing dark bodysuits with white patterns designed to look like body paint, red loin cloths and bunches of green leaves, the Russians drew no complaints from fans who waved their flags or the judges who made no deductions.
Later in the day, the men return to the ice to fight for the medals with Russia's Yevgeny Plushenko leading after Wednesday's short programme.
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