Russian Olympic ice champion Tatiana Navka and her skating partner Andrew Burkovsky provoked international outrage this week with their Holocaust themed performance in which the duo skated in striped concentration camp uniforms complete with the yellow Star of David.
Navka, the wife of Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, performed on the Russian reality show Ice Age which is broadcast by Russia’s leading state run TV network, Channel One. In addition to their striped uniforms, Navka and Peskov also appeared to wear stage makeup to make them look gaunt and emaciated.
The duo was trying to portray the horror of Holocaust tragedy. But while performing their pirouettes they were smiling at the audience and getting loud applause, as well as the highest points from the jury.
This performance drew the ire of many social media users from around the world and calls for a public apology.
But on her Instagram page, Navka shared a photo explaining that the routine was based on one of her favorite films, Life is Beautiful, that is set in a concentration camp.
“Show this movie to your kids. Our children should know and remember that tragic history, which I hope, God willing, they will never experience,” she said in a politically charged message.
Although the performance was inspired by the Oscar winning film and was set to its soundtrack, many were nonetheless bothered by what was viewed as an inappropriate take on Jewish suffering.
The Ice Age jury, however, apparently had a more transcendent experience from this skating routine — Peskov and Burkovsky got the highest points in the competition.
It was a far cry from other world reaction.
A photo posted by Tatiana Navka (@tatiana_navka) on