The 2026 Winter Olympics held its figure skating competition on February 9, and the 90s were all over the soundtrack. Specifically, during the rhythm dance event, where skaters are required to choose their music based on a theme.
The International Skating Union chooses a new theme for each iteration of the Winter Olympics. Skaters participating in rhythm dance must adhere to this theme, unlike men’s, women’s, and pair skating. There, skaters can choose any style of music. But rhythm dancing is a bit more strict in that it takes the “rhythm” part very seriously.
For the 2026 games, the theme was The Music, Dance Styles, and Feeling of the 1990s. 23 teams took to the ice in Milan, and the 90s were alive and well in that arena.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France skated to Madonna’s “Vogue”, which saw them take the lead. Close behind were US pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who performed to a Lenny Kravitz medley. This included “American Woman”, “Fly Away”, “Always on the Run”, and “Are You Gonna Go My Way”.
2026 Olympic Ice Dancing Chooses 90s Hits as Musical Theme
Canadian team Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier went a different direction for their 90s music choice. They picked a mash-up of RuPaul’s “Supermodel (You Better Work)” and Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy”. They currently sit in third place after a ballroom-inspired performance.
The British team paid homage to hometown pop stars the Spice Girls for their exhibition. Lilah Fair and Lewis Gibson performed to a medley of “Wannabe”, “Who Do You Think You Are?”, and “Spice Up Your Life”. Their costumes added a bit of flair as well, with Fair emulating Ginger Spice’s Union Jack dress and Gibson’s leopard-print top evoking Scary Spice.
The Italians, meanwhile, brought out a Backstreet Boys deep cut for their medley. Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri skated to “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” before transitioning into the lesser-known “That’s the Way I Like It”.
Previous ice dancing events have stuck with Winter Olympics fans, such as a performance by the Canadian team of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. At the 2018 Olympics, they performed a Moulin Rouge-inspired choreography that has fans still watching several years later.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
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