VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- After shoving Maxim Shabalin to the side so he wouldn't block anyone's view of her, Oksana Domnina sat very tall so the entire arena - and TV viewers - could get a nice, long look at her outfit.
No, not the red get-up that was part backward dress, part straight jacket. The heavy red, white and black blankets given to the Russian ice dancers by their new friends at Canada's Four Host First Nations.
Anyone who thought the world champions would back down from the furor over their original dance costumes doesn't know ice dance, where there really is no such thing as bad publicity.
And the Russians are getting as much mileage out of it as they can.
This year's original dance theme is country/folk, and Domnina and Shabalin have stirred the pot with their - insert air quotes here - aboriginal-themed OD. Some Australian aboriginal leaders have called it offensive cultural theft, with inauthentic steps and gaudy costumes. The music includes a didgeridoo riff, and Domnina and Shabalin wear brown-toned costumes adorned with leaves and white Aboriginal-style markings.
Most couples wear their competition costumes for at least one training session and, indeed, Domnina and Shabalin wore their free dance outfits during Saturday afternoon's practice. But those OD outfits? There's a rumor garment bags have been spotted in Vancouver, but the duds themselves are on tighter lockdown than envelopes containing the Oscar winners.
Which means one thing: All eyes will be on the Russians during today's OD, and not because they're leading the competition.
Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, medalists at the last two world championships, are 1.02 points behind Domnina and Shabalin, and there are less than three points separating the top four couples. Grand Prix final winners Meryl Davis and Charlie White are third, followed by 2006 Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto.
Someone's always unhappy about something in ice dance, and the ensuing chatter is often as entertaining as the competitions themselves. And, let's be honest, no one outside of Russia - and ice dance fans - would even know who Domnina and Shabalin were if not for their crazy costumes.
So the Russians continue to play coy, keeping everyone guessing at what they'll do and wear today.
"You will see," Shabalin said, smiling.
