Their original dance based on Australian Aboriginal folk dances sparked controversy in early 2010. Australian Aboriginal leaders were offended by the dance. Domnina/Shabalin said they meant no disrespect and would do the dance at the Olympics. When it was first skated at the 2010 Russian Championships, they wore face makeup but removed it for the 2010 European Championships. Domnina/Shabalin won the bronze medal at the 2010 Olympics and withdrew from the World Championships as a result of continued problems with his knee. They decided not to compete during the 2010–11 season to allow Shabalin to fully recover. In July 2010, Domnina announced on the team's official site that she was not ready to retire, despite the insistence of her mother and boyfriend to leave the sport, and that a decision would be made in 2011. She also denied rumors suggesting she would team up with Roman Kostomarov but added "Never say never."