Ice dances set to songs by queer icons wow fans and judges ahead of Winter Olympics
Two of the favorites for Milano-Cortina 2026 were first and second on the Grand Prix de France podium, both with 90s pop programs. The post Ice dances set to songs by queer icons wow fans and judges ahead of Winter Olympics appeared first on Outsports.
Mark
The Milano Ice Skating Arena looks poised to become an extra Pride House for the 2026 Winter Olympics, now less than four months away.
Those lucky enough to be in the 10,000-capacity venue for the ice dance competition are going to be treated to tracks often found on a Pride playlist.
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But will the programs they’re accompanying be medal-worthy? At this stage, we can certainly call them contenders.
At last weekend’s Grand Prix de France, Lewis Gibson and Lilah Fear — who currently lead the ISU World Standings — took the lead after the rhythm dance section with their electrifying new routine, set to a Spice Girls medley.
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The British pair’s rise to the top of the rankings is testament to their creativity and staying power. They’ve been skating together for more than a decade, and have made big strides since placing 10th at Beijing 2022.
The Spice Girls songs they’ve selected are — “Wannabe”; “Who Do You Think You Are”; and “Spice Up Your Life.” Since they debuted the program last month, they’ve swapped out “Viva Forever” for the latter track, a decision that keeps the tempo up throughout and has gone down well with fans.
So have their wardrobe choices. Fear wears a fresh take on Ginger Spice’s legendary Union Jack flag dress from the 1997 Brit Awards, and Gibson is in a glittery leopard-print vest-top inspired by Scary Spice’s style.
(@isufigureskating)Pop is pivotal to Gibson, who came out publicly as gay shortly before the previous Winter Games. He recently spoke to Queerty about what he and husband Joshua enjoy getting up to in their free time.
“We love concerts,” said Gibson. “We like going to festivals, things like that. I’m drawn to live entertainment so much, and he is too.
“We live for a good drag queen, and definitely have high standards!”
@isuskating Tell me what you want, what you really really want! We want a Season’s Best and that
Rhythm Dance lead
#GPFigure #FigureSkating ♬ original sound – Home of Skating
You’ll know from having seen any season of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK” that the Spice Girls have been among the biggest influences on the British drag scene for the last 30 years.
But that’s not the only taste of home that Gibson and Fear are serving up for this Olympic quest.
Their free dance sees the duo donning tartan garb for a Scottish Highlands medley, taking in “The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond”; “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers; and a rock-and-roll “Auld Lang Syne.”
“It’s so patriotic, so it’s amazing for me to be skating to these songs,” Prestwick-born Gibson told The National newspaper in his homeland earlier this month. “And Lilah has some Scottish ancestry, so it’s perfect for her too.”
Out gay champion Guillaume Cizeron and new partner dance to “Vogue”
However, on this occasion in Angers, the gold medals didn’t go to the Brits.
Storming to the top of the podium was a French pair making its international Grand Prix competition debut, but made up of ice dancers with the highest pedigree — Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry.
Cizeron won the Olympic title in Beijing with former partner Gabriella Papadakis, the crowning moment to a career that saw them regularly set new world-record scores and collect national, European and world championship titles.
He announced back in March that he was teaming up with Fournier Beaudry, who has switched national allegiance to France from her homeland, Canada, which she represented at the last two Olympics.
Their rhythm routine is set to“Vogue” by Madonna, replete with pose-striking pirouettes and the arm-hand movements made world-famous by the 1990 black-and-white music video. The dancers’ outfits are inspired by Jean-Paul Gaultier designs.
Cizeron, who came out as gay in 2020 and was Outsports’ Male Athlete of the Year in 2022, made one clear mistake in Angers, dropping a knee to the ice.
“In ice dance nowadays, this costs a lot of points. So, we are happy with the performance, but a bit disappointed about the error.
“I can’t really explain what and why it happened. Frankly speaking, I f***ed up,” he said with honesty.
However, the pair made up the points gap and then some with a stunning free dance routine.
The ISU Grand Prix season continues this coming weekend with the Cup of China competition in Chongqing. Four more events follow in Canada, Japan, the U.S. and Finland, before the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan, on Dec. 5-8.
The ice dance competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics will be held on Feb. 9 and 11.
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The post Ice dances set to songs by queer icons wow fans and judges ahead of Winter Olympics appeared first on Outsports.
