The 90s vibes are back on the ice today. Spice Girls, Madonna, Backstreet Boys – the Ice Dancers brought it all to life in the Rhythm Dance Saturday at the Grand Prix de France. Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) captured a confident lead on the first day of the Ice Dance event.

“Spicy” Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) lead Rhythm Dance

Top seeds Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson of Great Britain earned a confident lead with their lively “Spice Girls” routine. Lithuania’s Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius came second and the new French team Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Guillaume Cizeron is currently sitting in third. 

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (GBR) lead the Rhythm Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Angers, France © ISU

Fear/Gibson were as British as it gets: they selected the Spice Girls as their music and Fear wore the British Union Jack, beloved of Ginger Spice, as her costume. The 2025 ISU World bronze medalists picked up a level four for the twizzles and spectacular rotational lift to set a season's best of 84.38 points. 

“We really worked hard on the technical side this season as the foundation,” Fear said.“But then for us, it's always perform, perform, perform. It's what we love to do the most and it’s our strength. We wanted to amplify that. Combining those two and making it one cohesive product has been a huge goal of ours. It really showed up for us today and that's very gratifying.”

Reed/Ambrulevicius pumped up the crowd at the Angers IcePark with their upbeat dance to “I’m Too Sexy” and “Cantloop”, showing off smooth steps and fast twizzles. The 2024 ISU European bronze medalists, who secured an Olympic quota place only two weeks ago, slightly surpassed their previous season’s best with 80.98 points. 

Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius of Lithuania in the Rhythm Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Angers, France © ISU

“The summer was pretty jam-packed, a little stressful, but achieving that goal (Olympic qualification) in Beijing was a weight off our shoulders and a relief,” Reed shared. “So we come into our Grand Prix series enjoying the experience more, enjoying being on the ice together. We are just very happy with the performance today. It was great,” she added.

Skating first, as a new team, Fournier Beaudry/Cizeron opened the Rhythm Dance with an expressive dance to “Vogue”. However, Cizeron’s slip in the choreo sequence counted as a fall and cost them a few points. The couple came third on 78.00 points.

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) in the Rhythm Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Angers, France © ISU

“We had a good moment on the ice; this is our first international competition,” Cizeron, the 2022 Olympic Champion, said. “I think it was not far from perfect, except that I put down my knee in the choreo step, the last element. In Ice Dance nowadays, this costs lot of points. So we are happy with the performance, but a bit disappointed about the error.”

Diana Davis/Gleb Smolkin (GEO) are less than a point away from the podium on 77.80 points with their performance to “Pretty Fly”. Surprisingly, the three-time and reigning ISU European Champions Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA) placed fifth with their Backstreet Boys medley. Their pattern dance type sequence was rated only a level one (77.25 points). Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain Le Gac (CAN) came sixth on 73.75 points. 

Where to Watch

Follow the Where to Watch News here.

Connect with the world of ice skating through the brand new ISU App.

ISU Grand Prix Standings

Check out who is on their way to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix Final (data will become available after the conclusion of the first event):

Men        Women        Pairs        Ice Dance

For full entry lists and further information regarding the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series please visit here.