Where did it come from that Navka cursed our dancing? Comments from French readers on foreign criticism of Navka's dance on the theme of the Holocaust

Tatyana Navka’s recent performance in the program “ glacial period"caused a huge wave of discussions. It’s not about the skater’s impeccable technique or difficult jumps, but about the theme of the performance: Navka and Andrei Burkovsky’s performance was dedicated to the Holocaust. Dressed in striped robes with Stars of David on their chests, they portrayed Auschwitz prisoners dancing on ice. Many considered this performance frivolous, and the smiles on the faces of the skaters and their gaiety were journalists and public figures was considered almost an outrage against the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The British edition of the Daily Mail dedicated an entire article to Navka, in which journalists cited user statements about the number. “Vladimir Putin should oblige Tatyana Navka to apologize for her speech”, “Have you forgotten how people suffered during the war?”, “This is disgusting, she should be ashamed” - these are just some of the comments that were collected scandalous video. The other part was concentrated on the figure skater’s Instagram: Tatyana posted photos from the performance, noting that it had become one of her favorites, and advising everyone to show it to their children. “Creatures, dance and have fun in the costumes of concentration camp prisoners, you will be responsible for this, cow,” they immediately wrote to her under the photo. “You hit the ice and hit your head?!” The Holocaust is not a topic that can be used for entertainment,” wrote subscribers. At the same time, there were those who thanked Tatyana in the comments for her performance, because she “doesn’t let people forget all this horror.” The skater herself does not see anything offensive in the number and assures that it is dedicated to Roberto Benigni’s film “Life is Beautiful.” In this film, the parents who ended up in a concentration camp assure the child that everything that is happening is a funny game. According to Tatyana, that’s why the skaters smiled while skating - it was feigned gaiety that the characters in the film had to play.

But the point here is not even in the smiles of Navka and Burkovsky: if they were gliding across the ice with mournful faces, it would hardly change the situation. The problem is as old as time - we just still can’t decide which themes can be used in popular culture, and which ones are not. There is no single standard, so everyone speaks for themselves: some are offended by figure skaters in the uniforms of Auschwitz prisoners, while others consider this an excellent opportunity to remind humanity of the terrible tragedy. What some call an outrage against values, others consider a creative act that no one has the right to prohibit, otherwise it is censorship, restriction of personal freedom and creativity, and the like. When Pussy Riot danced in the temple, many public figures fiercely defended the right of a person to dance anywhere and talk about anything, and if it hurts your feelings, then that’s only your problem. So Tatyana Navka danced - so it is absolutely unclear what complaints those who previously advocated creative freedom might have against her. It turns out that we can fiercely demand our own freedom, but we have not yet learned to respect someone else’s - be it freedom of thought, speech, or even ice dancing.

Tatiana Navka artistically reimagined the Holocaust. She received the highest score from the jury, a compliment from her husband, criticism from Internet users, and gratitude from the Jews.

frame from the official video of Channel One

Over the weekend, the Channel One show “Ice Age” became the second most discussed after the death of Fidel Castro. The wife of the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation and figure skater Tatyana Navka danced in a camp uniform with a Star of David on her chest. The interpretation of the Oscar-winning film “Life is Beautiful” turned out to be controversial. The athlete was booed even by the audience of Channel One, but was positively noted by representatives of the Jewish community.

The ninth day of the Ice Age show on Channel One was dedicated to world cinema. The couples chose recognizable bestsellers “Leon”, “Kill Bill”, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. The performance was completed by the Olympic champion in figure skating and the wife of the president's press secretary, Tatyana Navka, with her partner Andrei Burkovsky, an actor and member of KVN.

In the lead-up to the performance, presenters Alexey Yagudin and Alla Mikheeva reasoned that the title of Navka’s act could become the motto of the entire “Ice Age.”

"Apocalypse Now?" – Alla asked with her trademark coquetry. “Life is wonderful,” Yagudin replied.

Before the show, Tatyana Navka was also given the floor. “We are, of course, looking forward to it. Our movie is Hollywood. We took the music from the movie "Life is Beautiful." It’s about a concentration camp,” said the figure skater, wringing her hands.

And the number began. Heroes in prison uniforms with yellow Stars of David presented a cheerful pantomime. At the end of the performance, the hero was shot, the heroine’s face showed pain.

All judges gave the highest scores for artistry and technique. Navka and Burkovsky rejoiced and hugged. After the show aired, they wrote on their Instagram accounts: “Be sure to watch! One of my favorite numbers! Based on one of my favorite movies, Life is Beautiful! Show this film to your children, definitely. P.S. Our children must know and remember that terrible time, which I hope they will never know!” – wrote Tatyana Navka.

Burkovsky refrained from explaining: “6.0. 6.0)))".

The film “Life is Beautiful” was filmed in 1997. It tells about the concentration days of a Jew, his Italian wife (who voluntarily followed her husband) and their five-year-old son. The Jew convinced the child that the horrors of the Auschwitz (Auschwitz) camp were a game and one had to follow the rules. The child accepts the conditions and is saved. The father is shot. The film received three Oscars, including for music. At the 1999 awards ceremony, director Roberto Benigni jumped on chairs, jumped onto the stage and enthusiastically hugged Sophia Loren.

There was a reaction after the TV show. User Durevestnik wrote: “Navka showed everyone how much fun the prisoners in the Nazi concentration camps had. And whoever disagrees with this is a falsifier of history.”

The information surge has reached the Kremlin. Dmitry Peskov found an opportunity to praise his wife. AP Moscow correspondent Natalya Vasilyeva tweeted: “I asked Peskov about Tatyana Navka’s dance. He replied: “I’m proud of my wife - that’s all I can say.”

Navka in a robe was actively discussed abroad. The most popular adjectives applied to dance are “offensive”, “disgusting”, “inappropriate”, “incompetent”.

American comedian Michael Ian Black also took part in the controversy. He made a subtle joke about the number: “It might have seemed offensive if the ice dancing from the Auschwitz era had not been recreated with all the care.”

When Twitter users wrote to him that the Russians actually liberated Auschwitz and lost 22 million people in World War II, Black responded: “No one questions Russia's incredible sacrifice in the war. Maybe it’s just inappropriate to show this in ice dancing.”

The Israeli publication Haaretz also noted the ambiguity of using the Holocaust theme in entertainment programs: “Holocaust on ice: the wife of Putin’s assistant caused controversy by skating in the uniform of a concentration camp prisoner.”

German Spiegel limited itself to describing Navka’s number, her social status (the wife of a Kremlin representative) and the message that the performance “caused criticism from the United States.”

“When you visit there, it won’t occur to you to do such numbers,” says Navka’s subscriber bahtinov.design.

“Elite” doesn’t know how to be sophisticated,” Igor.mironov.9615 couldn’t pass by.

“Drawing caricatures of a tragedy, for example, like in Charlie Hebdo magazine, is normal, but doing an act on ice that does not imply a desire to laugh or offend someone is blasphemy?” – anna_karelina1990 defended the couple.

A fan of Svetlanaleg53 wanted to please Tatyana Navka, but it turned out ambiguous: “You match the image incredibly. Bravo".

Following her, many also noted that striped clothes suit Tatyana Navka.

IN official group“Ice Age” historical allusions on the social network “VKontakte” went unnoticed. The Holocaust was not discussed at all, the British press was criticized a little, and that was all. Only 48.8% of voters (235 people) said good things about the number.

“It seemed to me that this was an exploitation of the theme,” expressed the opinion of a fan of the show, Yulia Kalashnikova.

“Navka’s dancing is not experienced from the inside,” Irina Borzik does not believe the press secretary’s wife.

Under the video on Youtube, Navka and director Ilya Averbukh also got it.

“A blasphemous mockery of the memory of millions of those tortured...” – Jewgenia Komarova is sure.

User Maya Paz decided to answer for others too: “You spat in the face of every Jew. This number looks as ridiculous as a disco on the grave of your parents.”

Victoria Razhkovetsky discussed with them: “An excellent reading (of the film. – Red.) talented authors and performers of this three-minute production. People are deeply touched."

On the Channel One website, the release of “Ice Age” caused negative reviews.

“Completely inappropriate topic for entertainment show. You leave the movie with a lump in your throat. And here - smiles, applause and praise for technique and artistry. I was only perplexed at how some could come up with such a thing, while others could cheerfully applaud,” writes viewer Pavel Riazanov.

Michael Ratinsky pointed out that the show consists not only of a number in which artistic reinterpretation is permissible, but also of an audience. And her reaction is very controversial: “You've gone crazy! Smiles in robes with yellow stars! The hall exploding with applause... No taste, no tact, no understanding... Incompetent direction.”

The chairman of the Jewish community of St. Petersburg, Mark Grubarg, said in: “The choice of topic is not forbidden. But a work of art is judged by whether it carries a quality message, whether it awakens people. How big significant work I can't rate this number. The skating did not cause any special aesthetic impressions. Did the characters manage to evoke a sense of tragedy in the audience? That's the question. But now many are looking for points of disagreement that are not conceptual.”

1998 Olympic champion in figure skating Oksana Kazakova supported Navka: “The program brought tears to many people. The guys did not teach the topic (the Holocaust) in a comical way. Figure skating is an art. Through dance we can convey emotions, problems and fear.”

Director Karen Shakhnazarov participates in the jury. He also gave it 6.0. Here is his assessment: “I remember and love this film very well, it is outstanding. There's never been anything about horror Nazi camps in art they spoke in such a way that there was lyricism, humor, unshakable strength human spirit. The guys managed to convey the spirit of this picture, its essence.”

Head of Northwestern public organization disabled Jews, former prisoners of fascist concentration camps and ghettos Pavel Rubinchik, who was in the Minsk ghetto, admitted to Fontanka that he had not seen the film, and therefore could only say about the number: “Skating, pirouettes, lyrics are good, but they are not are consistent with what actually happened. We just wanted to drink and eat and sometimes wished for death. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the tragedy in the performance.”

The head of the public relations department of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, Borukh Gorin, left a post on Facebook: “Am I shocked? I am terrified! I'm horrified by the reaction to this number. Do you want to talk about aesthetic dilemmas, about Adorno's maxim? This is after kilometers of film of kitsch “about the Holocaust”? After Schindler's List and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas? “Life is beautiful” also outraged you to the point of nausea? Never mind - Navka has gotten you down the drain. And it is you who use the memory of the victims of the Holocaust for your own selfish purposes. And bow to her. Like anyone who is ready to wear a yellow star in memory of them."

Blogger Anton Nosik wrote in LiveJournal: “For today’s civilization, the Holocaust is nothing more than a historical plot that provides inspiration for books, films, scientific research and, as it now turns out, ice dancing. I’m not ready to evaluate a dance number based on a film, whether it’s good or bad, I just don’t know anything about choreography. But there is definitely no insult to either the Jewish people or the victims of the Holocaust. This is just an artistic treatment of a topic that has become global over the past 70 years.”

The performance of Tatyana Navka and Andrei Burkovsky in the show “Ice Age” with a number about the Holocaust caused a mixed reaction in society and the media. Peskov expressed pride in his wife who danced in the clothes of a concentration camp prisoner. And Averbukh accused the Western media of inciting hysteria around Navka’s dance.

Navka was surprised by the media reaction to the dance about the Holocaust

Olympic champion Tatyana Navka commented on the controversial reaction to her ice dance number with actor Andrei Burkovsky, writes MK.

Earlier, as Topnews wrote, Western media criticized Navka and Burkovsky, who danced in prison clothes. However, the dance was based on Roberto Benigni’s tragicomedy “Life is Beautiful” about the Holocaust.

Navka said she was surprised by the strange reaction of the media. She suggested that the critics did not see the picture, the music from which was used in the issue intkbbee about prisoners of Auschwitz.

Navka and Burkovsky. Speech on the Holocaust. VIDEO

Figure skater Tatyana Navka and actor Andrei Burkovsky performed an ice dance in the show “Ice Age” on Channel One, dedicated to the Holocaust. The athletes took to the ice dressed as Jewish prisoners of a concentration camp during World War II and danced to the song “Beautiful That Way” from the famous Italian film “Life is Beautiful.”
“Be sure to check it out! Based on one of my favorite films, Life is Beautiful! — Tatyana Navka wrote on on your Instagram page. “Show this film to your children, for sure. Our children must know and remember that terrible time, which I hope, God willing, they will never know!” - she emphasized.

Peskov commented on the performance of Navka and Burkovsky

Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov commented on the performance of his wife Tatyana Navka and Andrei Burkovsky in the image of Auschwitz prisoners, RT reports.

“I don’t think this is an issue that somehow concerns the Kremlin. Due to my work, I am significantly limited in my ability to comment on this. I’m proud of my wife, that’s what I can say,” Peskov said in response to a request to comment on the reaction of the world media to the speech of Navka and Burkovsky.

The Jewish community approved scandalous dance Navka about the Holocaust, and the chief rabbi of Moscow expressed doubts

In the speech of Tatyana Navka and Andrei Burkovsky with a number about the Holocaust at television show There is nothing offensive about “Ice Age,” Mark Grubarg, chairman of the Jewish community of St. Petersburg, told Baltika FM.

According to him, some bloggers and journalists artificially “inflated the story” on the topic of insulting feelings after watching ice show. The speech of Navka and Burkovsky gave another reason to remember the Holocaust and comprehend the lessons of the past, the head of the community is sure.

“Many people are outraged that they are trying to talk about the Holocaust in the language of the show. But there are a lot of topics devoted to the Holocaust wonderful films. Why is a film possible, but a show is not? Is it worth labeling any genre?” Grubarg was indignant.

All works of art, without mockery and deliberate humiliation of a particular community, have the right to exist, says the chairman of the Jewish community. In his opinion, does the show of Navka and Burkovsky meet the criteria good taste, will become clear after some time.

As the organization explained, the scandalous dance was conceived as a work about love, faith and victory over difficult reality. “And I advise everyone who is concerned about insulting Jews to come to the synagogue to engage in a serious study of Judaism and the history of the Holocaust,” Grubarg added.

In turn, the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, President of the Council of Rabbis of Europe Pinchas Goldschmidt did not approve of the performance of the wife of press secretary Dmitry Peskov in the show “Ice Age” in the image of an Auschwitz prisoner.

In his opinion, Tatyana Navka and her dance partner Andrei Burkovsky should have consulted with the relatives of the prisoners Nazi concentration camp before performing a dance about the Holocaust.

“Many people liked it, but many were offended by the dance. The Holocaust and everything connected with it is too big a wound. She won't live for a long time. There are almost no Jewish families in which none of the ancestors suffered from Nazism or wore yellow stars, like on the costumes of figure skaters,” TASS quotes the rabbi.

According to Goldschmidt, the creators of the dance number needed to take care of the feelings of the victims' family members and consult with them in advance. The Chief Rabbi of Moscow expressed the hope that the directors wanted to convey the will to live and the best hopes of the concentration camp prisoners.

“Probably, the intentions were good, but every nation has its own pain, and we must try not to touch a nerve. I wouldn’t like to see anti-Semitism here,” Goldschmidt said.

Ilya Averbukh accused Western media of inciting hysteria: they confused Navka with Tatmyanina

Meanwhile, figure skater and producer Ilya Averbukh called it savagery how foreign media reported news about the dance of Tatyana Navka and actor Andrei Burkovsky in the images of Auschwitz prisoners in the show “Ice Age,” writes Lenta.ru.

“It’s crazy that this can be discussed at all. The savagery is in everything - in the presentation, in the hysteria, in the lack of professionalism that can be seen in the articles of foreign media,” says Averbukh.

As an example, he cited an article in the British Daily Mail, which confused Navka with another Olympic figure skating champion, Tatyana Totmyanina. In the published photo, Totmyanina stands next to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the caption to the photo talks about Navka. Averbukh called it a “big blunder.”

From a conversation on Facebook:

“The theme of the program - foreign cinema - and the tasks facing the ice dance directors are absolutely clear. Averbukh, to the best of his abilities, made an unsuccessful attempt to recreate the theme of a very subtle and undoubtedly talented film. I will try to explain why it was unsuccessful. Any line from the brilliant work of art- this is a slippery and dangerous path. Because trying to “outsing” a genius is almost impossible. There are no such examples in the history of art. Nevertheless, works that are aimed in advance at “imitation” of the author-genius exist. And no less brilliant. Only one condition must be met - a change of genre. Classics/expressionism, post-classicism/modern, modern/pop art, etc...And here the laws of artistic ethics come into play, which inextricably accompany any aesthetic work that is offered to the public. There is a range of topics that, by default, according to the established laws of ethics (I’m talking about our modern times, perhaps in two hundred years they will be corrected, even most likely!) are impossible for such “exercises.” These are, for example, scenes of extreme cruelty - dismemberment, scenes of sexual violence, images of child nudity with sexual overtones, images of mockery of physical disabilities, etc. This does not mean that the same topics cannot be covered in creativity in the form of allegories or associations that do not directly relate to the topic!

The topic of genocide is not an absolute taboo, but the Holocaust has its own framework for depiction and interpretation. Why? Because any genocide is a consequence not only of the mass extermination of people, but also a consequence of the mass participation of people in this extermination. Television is a mass media that not only entertains, but also shapes the tastes, preferences and worldview of TV viewers, educating them in a certain way. There is a whole science on this subject - about the impact of audio-visual information sources on the worldview. Therefore, how the topic of the Holocaust is presented on screen must be strictly subject to the author's internal censorship (or editorial censorship) and the relevant legislative acts relating to this. This is exactly how things are in civilized countries.
In the case of Averbukh, many of the above traditions were violated: inappropriateness, objective depiction of images of prisoners in a non-stereotypical (non-standard) form, separation from the proportion of the image of the tragedy, which was observed in the original (film), bad taste in the image/production and unscrupulous use of obviously advantageous themes with for the purpose of receiving personal dividends. All this is in no way consistent with the traditional use of the Holocaust theme either in art or in sports (!) (The way the theme was used in Lipnitskaya’s Olympic performance, where exactly an allegory was used - similar to the one that Steven Spielberg used in his film, but not less talented!). The educational moment, the goal that is traditionally pursued in depicting the Holocaust, was absent, and any other goal is an outrage on the topic."

This is the art critic’s detailed answer.

Whether you argue or not, you still can’t find such words.

The famous figure skater Tatyana Navka, the wife of Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, performed a dance about the love of prisoners of a Nazi concentration camp as part of the Ice Age show on Channel One. Tatyana staged a number together with comedian Andrei Burkovsky.

The dance was based on the Oscar-winning film “Life is Beautiful” by Roberto Benigni, which tells about the life of an Italian Jew, a prisoner of Auschwitz. Tatyana Navka wrote on her Instagram that “our children should know and remember that terrible time.”

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The performance caused a wave of indignation on the Internet; Russian and foreign media reacted sharply to the scandalous number. “You've gone crazy! Smiles in robes with yellow stars! A hall exploding with applause... No taste, no tact, no understanding... Incompetent direction,” writes an angry viewer (Spelling and punctuation hereinafter are the author’s. - Note edit.). Tatyana’s subscribers started a serious argument, and the majority was inclined to believe that “such a performance has no place on television.”

President of the Holocaust Foundation Alla Gerber tried to cool down the critics on the radio “Moscow Speaks” and said that the number should not be perceived so unambiguously. “The topic is so painful, so bloody, how should we address it, what are the criteria? This, first of all, it seems to me, should not be mockery, it should not be irony, it should not be a wry smile.”

Tatyana Navka was surprised by the criticism and commented to Life.ru: “I am surprised, of course, by the reaction. People probably haven’t watched this wonderful film “Life is Beautiful,” which won awards at the Cannes Film Festival and received three Oscars. Honestly, I have nothing to say. This is not the first time that the theme of war has been raised in our project; personally, this is not the first time I have performed a performance in the clothes of concentration camp prisoners. This is our creativity, and before it somehow did not cause any reaction in the world. And that means we make people think.”

The head coach and producer of the Ice Age show, Ilya Averbukh, also spoke about the show: “This number is my idea. I did a lot of numbers on military and Jewish themes, absolutely different characters. In the previous program we had a stunning number by Ekaterina Barnabas - an Armenian lullaby, also about tragic events. But no one paid attention, apparently because Tatyana Navka did not perform it. And that's the whole answer. When you live away from this, you think that maybe ours are exaggerating, distorting... But the Daily Mail publishes completely unverified facts in this article. But this is not some newspaper, but one of the first publications in the country.”