Social media users lambasted a German figure skater performed to the theme song from Schindler’s List. Twirling on ice to the accompaniment of the score from a movie about the Holocaust strikes many people as tone-deaf.
Nicole Schott performed Thursday night at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. She didn’t place in the competition but she became a trending subject regardless because of her tactless taste in music.
https://youtu.be/xFGjEZ9KyL0
“The German figure skater is skating to music from Schindler’s List. ABORT ABORT ABORT! I repeat, do NOT skate to that! What are you doing Germany!” Twitter user David Struve wrote.
Schindler’s List is an award-winning movie based on the life of a German factory owner who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.
Oddly, Schott’s panned performance wasn’t the first time that a German figure skater had danced to the song. In the 90’s Olympic gold medalist Katarina Witt performed to the same song.
Russian superstar skater Yulia Lipnitskaya also used the song during her gold-medal winning performance at the 2015 Sochi Games.
“NO ONE SHOULD BE SKATING TO SCHINDLER’S LIST,” USA TODAY columnist Nancy Armour tweeted after Schott’s mishap.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with using songs from Schindler’s List in athletic performance. The music’s somber beauty is uniquely fitted to the slow, languorous movements often made by figure skaters between tricks.
However, the music is intertwined with a story about the Holocaust. The emotions that it calls forth for a lot of people are far from pleasant. Schott’s German heritage seems to have made matters worse.
Schott hasn’t been abandoned by everyone.
“Please guys, don’t be so harsh on Nicole Schott´s Music choice & keep olympic spirit.She did a very elegant choreography to this extraordinary emotional violin piece. I skated to the music of “Schindler´s List” too & Steven Spielberg himself send me the most touching letter afterwards,” Witt wrote on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/BrennaSimonSays/status/966930626048741376
(Source: Daily Mail)