Every skater dreams of World and Olympic glory, but for some, it’s more realistic than others. From the outside looking in, it might initially have seemed a long shot that Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson would one day challenge for those podiums when they first teamed up in 2016.

At the time, Lilah Fear’s top international placement was 15th at two Junior Grand Prix events with former partner Jacob Payne. Lewis Gibson, meanwhile, had never competed in ice dance at all, having previously skated singles and pairs. Additionally, the new team would represent Great Britain, not one of the reigning powerhouse countries in ice dance. Nevertheless, Fear and Gibson decided to go for it. The duo soon started training at the Ice Academy of Montreal (I.AM), working with all the coaching staff there, but especially coach Romain Haguenauer.

In their early seasons, Fear and Gibson qualified twice for the ISU World Championships, placing 22nd and 24th, and were 15th at Europeans in 2017. They clearly had potential, but faced a dilemma common to young ice dancers: How to stand out in an international field with dozens of talented teams? It’s a question that many ice dance couples never quite find the answer to.

But Fear and Gibson did. In the 2018-19 season, they debuted a career-defining disco free dance to the music of Donna Summer and Earth, Wind, and Fire. The program felt like a breath of fresh air at a time when ice dance had long been dominated by serious, dramatic programs to weighty classical or contemporary music. Suddenly, Fear and Gibson were bringing fun back to the sport. Crowds delighted in their performances.

It wasn’t just the music audiences responded to, though; it was the dynamism, speed, precision, and sheer showmanship the couple brought to the ice. The more Fear and Gibson connected with crowds, the more they realized this was their style. They had found their voice. No longer anonymous faces in the ice dance crowd, they were now “the disco Brits.” Results followed: That season, Fear and Gibson rocketed up to 6th at Europeans and 13th at Worlds.

The duo have not looked back since. In the ensuing seasons, Fear, 25, and Gibson, 30, have stayed true to their guiding paradigm of lively, accessible, crowd-pleasing programs, skating to artists such as Madonna and Lady Gaga and bringing audiences to their feet around the world. The judges love them, too: Fear and Gibson moved up to 6th at Worlds in 2022, and 4th in 2023.

Although at times they’ve faced criticism for a perceived lack of artistic range, Fear and Gibson view their choices as an ever-progressing evolution on themes that personally resonate with them. Their focus: Improving their skating skills and staying true to their vision.

This past season, Fear and Gibson won their first-ever Grand Prix title at NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan. They followed up by placing 4th at the Grand Prix Final, 2nd at Europeans, and 4th again at Worlds. The duo’s sharp, polished techno rhythm dance to “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics was a hit all season. And their free dance, set to music from the iconic Rocky movies, portrayed the story of an underdog athlete who overcomes all doubts to rise to the top. Fear cites the program as her favorite ever (perhaps echoing the team’s own unexpected rise in the sport).

When I spoke with Fear and Gibson a few weeks after Montreal Worlds, they were still on a high from that event, yet already full of anticipation for next season. The couple expressed confidence that they’re on the right path for their skating future. This is a team that knows themselves–and knows who they want to be in the sport.

Q: With the 2023-24 season over, what are your overall thoughts or takeaways from this past season?

Fear: We grow so much each year, but it levels up, with our experience together, with our maturity. As we get higher up in the world [rankings], too, there’s more pressure. It’s harder to climb up the hierarchy. The stakes are higher, too. It’s such a privilege to get to experience that. For us, it allowed us to really hone our mental game this season. To practice bringing as much courage as we could to every single competition, when we had chances to win and the stakes were high. And to still perform with that attack, drive, and desire, regardless. We really brought that intention to its fullest at Worlds, where in both performances, we gave our all. Ultimately, that is the most satisfying thing you can ask for as an athlete. To be able to learn that throughout the season, and then deliver it when we wanted to, was extremely gratifying.

Q: As you climb higher up the ranks in the skating world, do the competition nerves get more or less?

Gibson: I think the nerves for the skating itself may be less. Although it’s definitely intense when you feel like winning is on the line, like at NHK. But honestly, our whole career so far, we have been very motivated to always push in the free dance. Because at the beginning, I remember, like in our first two seasons together, we were super-low in the rhythm dance, and then we’d jump up like five spots in the free dance. So we’ve always had that kind of fight. What we’ve realized this year is that the jump, when you’re at the top, can be significant from one event to the other. Especially in the scores. If you start losing GOEs [grade of execution marks] everywhere, your score comes tumbling down quite quickly. And that variable is a lot less [when you’re] a few groups down. So that’s been something to learn this season. Obviously, we want to just keep pushing our score, and our level of intention for what we perform on the ice, to get a higher quality over the next year.

Q: You had a breakthrough this season, winning your first Grand Prix event, the gold medal at NHK Trophy. How did that rank in terms of your most memorable moments this season?

Fear: It was probably one of the most memorable moments of our skating career, full stop. It’s like the most ecstatic feeling that you can imagine, and see in our reaction. My favorite part was ending the free dance and knowing we nailed it. We had a chance [to win], and we were so proud of ourselves. To actually have something that we’ve been envisioning come true, and it was real, and we did it … it was just the most joy you can ever imagine.

But then, on the other hand, two or three days later, it’s over. And you’re on to the next [thing]. We went straight to [British] Nationals, and then we went to the [Grand Prix] Final. It’s such a great example that those moments are so fleeting. Even now, I have to watch the video to remember the feeling.

It made us really appreciate that we were able to achieve that. But it also made us realize the things that last are those moments in training; the everyday grind and the process. That’s what you need to put the emphasis on, and what you need to treasure. Because those moments–those highs– You have to come down at some point, it’s not sustainable. That was one of our biggest highs [in the sport], and a really great lesson as a result.

Q: Some ice dance teams are like: ‘We really love practice, that’s what we really enjoy.’ And others are like: ‘No, competing is where it’s at for us.’ Where would you put yourselves on that spectrum?

Gibson: It’s competing, for sure. I love it so much. It’s not even necessarily that I’m competing against this person, or whoever. It’s the whole grandeur of the whole thing, in itself. You’ve trained for this moment. And it’s such a chance, and opportunity, to perform and do something that you love, in front of people who also love the same thing–skating. To me, that’s such a gift, and so cool. There’s not many people in the world who get to do that on such a big stage. I just live for that moment.

Fear: Yes. And I really feed off that energy with Lewis. I love competing. But with Lewis, it’s like he’s made to do this. And he celebrates that. I’m like: ‘Wow, this is so cool, and it’s great to do it with him.’ There’s a lot of nerves, of course. And it’s so easy to get in your head and focus on results and rankings. But when we’re out there, in competition, skating around before they call our names, we look at each other and we say to ourselves, ‘There’s literally nowhere else we’d rather be right now.’ And that is 100% honest and true. I think if you can acknowledge that, it helps just release all that extra noise, and realize we’re so lucky to be here. Let’s give it our all, make the most of it, and seize this moment.

Q: That’s something you’re definitely known for–your ability to connect with crowds and really use that energy. Not all teams have that, but you do. Do you attribute that just to the love of competition?

Gibson: Maybe, yes. I think for us, when we had the disco free dance [2018-19], we kind of realized that the crowd is … there. There to be acknowledged, and to be used, as well. And instantly, I think, for both of us in that season, we probably loved skating more because of that. We were excited to go out and perform that free dance. It was like: ‘We’re so ready to do this, because we know the crowd is ready to watch it.’

When we started to tap into that, it really allowed us to develop who we were as skaters and just realize that … We want this to be more than just our four-minute program. This is a time for everyone to watch skating and feel like they are part of it. And they can be a part of it. I think there’s a lot of programs, or music, that it’s hard to engage with, as an audience member. You’re sitting there watching, and you want to feel like you can [engage]. And that you’re allowed to.

Fear: It’s really a collaboration. Now we’re at the point where, when we start the choreography process and as we’re developing our programs throughout the season, we’re choreographing for the crowd. Like we are aware that we need it to be 360 [degrees]; we want to bring them in at this moment. We want to make sure that we have this [other] moment for them to clap. Because it’s this amazing extra boost when we perform live that elevates our performance. We train and we give our all, but we know there’s that extra 10 percent that we get from the crowd. So they are really a part of our team and our product. We want to make it as entertaining and enjoyable as possible for them.

Q: When you skate out onto the ice, at an event like Worlds in Montreal, and you see the crowd there, thousands of people … When you look at that, what are your thoughts?

Fear: That this is awesome. The more, the merrier. Bring it on, let’s open up the top row, and get some more people in here. We love it.

Gibson: It lends itself to what Lilah said about not wanting to be anywhere else. If I were sitting at home as a skater and watching that on TV … To me, that’s the pinnacle. To be able to perform in front of a packed audience like that, who are so warm and welcoming, and invested and wanting to cheer people on. Yes, it’s scary, because it’s a lot of people, and it’s intimidating. But at the end of the day, that’s the best of what we can get in skating. Why would you not want to perform in front of these people?

Q: Lewis mentioned your disco program. That was five years ago now, and that segues into one of my main questions. The two of you have probably among the most distinctive styles in the whole discipline of ice dance today. You have your style that you are known for. What does that mean to you? And do you see yourself continuing in that vein, or do you also want to do other things?

Fear: It’s a huge compliment, so thank you for saying that. I think what it means to us is that we feel acknowledged as people. Because we’re really just bringing who we are and our personalities to the ice. We choose music that resonates with us, that gets us going, that we want to dance to. And it can be a case of, ‘No one’s really done this, but we love it. So why not try it?’ The fact that it resonates with people and we’re known as the crowd-pleasers, that means something. It’s from an authentic, real place of joy from us, and bringing that joy to others. We’re not trying to be anything. We are us, and we’re choosing what we love to do. So if people like it, it’s heartwarming and reassuring.

To answer the second part of the question, about continuing in that vein … I think as you grow as a person, you discover these layers of who you are, with age and maturity and experience. So every year, we learn more about ourselves. And we get all these extra gems to bring to the ice, into the choreography process, to show who we are and who we’re becoming.

Q: Do you ever fear that you could be pigeonholed by a style? Or are you just happy that it’s there, and you want to explore different aspects of it?

Gibson: I’d say no would be the answer. I feel like, as Lilah said, we’re giving who we are, and there’s something authentic in that. We don’t necessarily view it as a style. We are, of course, aware of what works and what doesn’t work. And also, we’re in a sport that’s judged, and we want to make sure that we’re going to score. [Smiles] But at the end of the day, I think what we do is authentic. The way we choose music is authentic. It’s ultimately always coming from that place … As Lilah said, our style will evolve as we evolve. Because we always choose from the place of, ‘Do we actually really want to skate to this, and have fun with it and emote to it?’

Fear: From the disco [free dance], we evolved. Each choice from then on was quite different. We don’t want to just say: ‘Okay, this works, stay here and do the same thing, and copy/paste every season.’ That’s not fulfilling as an athlete or an artist. And we’re willing to take risks. Last year, Rocky was a risk, and we will acknowledge that some people loved it, and some people really didn’t like it. But we loved it, and we’re the ones going out there. We know that if it’s true and from that genuine place, it will touch people. It was a wonderful experience, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s my favorite free dance that we’ve done. As long as we can balance that authenticity with a sense of discovery and curiosity, and willingness to take risks, we’ll be on a good path.

Q: Rocky was interesting, because it had a certain similarity to other music you’d used in the past. But this time, there was more of a storyline. How did you decide to do that piece?

Fear: It was an idea that came up a few seasons previous, I think maybe for a rhythm dance. We kind of entertained it, and tried a lot of different pieces of music from the movie. Ultimately, the toughest part was building a program that also works for skating, because it is quite an out-there theme choice. A lot of times, people come up with ideas, but then it’s difficult to actually execute and bring some cohesion to it. I think we really stuck with the idea and found pieces of music that allowed us to build a program and do all the elements as well.

Q: What was the coaches’ reaction when you proposed Rocky?

Fear: We actually shared it with our coaches before Worlds in Saitama, Japan, last year. We shared it at the airport on the way to Japan, because we always start our choreography pretty early. Romain listened to it, and he was like, ‘I love that. Why not? That could be cool.’ I love that he’s so open-minded, that our whole coaching team is so open-minded. We throw those curveballs out, but they’re not like: ‘No one’s done that, let’s be safe.’ They’re like: ‘Let’s try.’ And over time, we experiment and are open-minded and excited and curious. It’s different for the choreographer, too–trying to blend the athleticism of boxing with the traditional ice dance style, and being graceful. It was a challenge that we all embraced as a team.

Q: Was Romain Haguenauer the main choreographer for the piece?

Fear: Yes. We always do our choreography with Romain. And then everybody helps. It’s such a huge team, so everyone has their contribution, and it changes so much during the season. We’re lucky to have such a diverse team.

Q: But you start the initial concept or choreography for most of your programs with Romain?

Fear: All of them.

Gibson: Yes, it’s been all of them so far.

Q: I will admit I was one of the doubters when I first saw Rocky. But as it grew and evolved, you made me believe in the program, and I came to really enjoy it a lot.

Fear: As one of the doubters, what changed? What did you observe that made you get on board?

Q: I think it was when you took out a few of the more literal aspects [i.e., boxing moves] in the choreo step sequence and made it more dancey. But also, I started to feel the overall storyline more, especially the more poignant or sad part in the middle. I started to feel more of the overall challenges that Rocky faced.

Fear: It’s nice to know what resonates and gets people believing.

Gibson: Just a little choreo insight … That program evolved like crazy from the beginning of the season till the end. We’re a team that really does change up a lot of stuff throughout the year. When we actually started that program, it didn’t even have the crowd noise [from the soundtrack] or anything at the beginning. That was a later thought in the choreo [process]. We thought, ‘Oh, you know how when the boxers walk out, the crowd cheers, and there’s all this?’ There’s a process of evolution that nobody sees, that builds into a program. I believe it would be awesome for people to be able to see it from zero to the final product, in some way.

Q: Obviously it was a program that worked, with a lot of success this past year. Now we’re already starting into the next season. Have you looked into choreography and music for next year?

Fear: We have begun. [Smiles] It’s very exciting stuff. I’m not going to reveal anything just yet. But we already believe in both new programs. I think you’re going to see more layers of Lilah and Lewis, but still staying true to us. I’m really excited for the growth.

Gibson: And the challenge it presents. The way it makes us think, to have the elements with the choreography. I feel that excitement, with this new program.

Fear: The creativity, the challenge. What can we do that hasn’t been done before? Choreographing new programs is always one of our favorite parts of the season.

Q: What’s your reaction to the choice of the 1950s/60s/70s theme for the rhythm dance? You’ve already done several 1970s programs in the past. What was your initial thought when you heard about this choice?

Gibson: I was like, ‘Oh, great! I know all the music.’

Fear: Yes, we know all the music. We’ve looked at everything. Also, just knowing that it’s our style. It’s in our wheelhouse. We’re like, bring it on. Let’s see how we can do something that we know we love to do and that is natural for us, but is also a little bit unexpected and with more depth than you would assume. It was a good challenge to stay true to who we are, but pair that with a little bit of surprise and opportunity to develop.

Gibson: You’re right that we’ve done a lot of stuff in that genre and era. So I think that’s a good challenge for us: How can we carve out something that feels fresh and new, within that space? I think it’ll be exciting.

Q: As a team, you do many fast-tempo programs, probably more than the vast majority of ice dance teams, especially in the free dance. What does that mean for your physical fitness? All competitive skaters are fit, but do you feel like you need to be at a higher level of fitness to pull this off?

Fear: Yes. It is exhausting. But it’s something that we literally asked for. We choose the music, so we’re asking for it. I think it’s one of our strengths, so we want to harness that. We love being athletes and growing in our strength, on and off of the ice. It’s always really rough, though, starting out and doing run-throughs, and it feels so fast. [Laughs ruefully.] But, over the season, it feels slower, and we’re able to add all these little nuances.

Gibson: I don’t remember a program as challenging at the beginning as this past year’s Eurythmics rhythm dance. [Fear nods in agreement.] Because we opted to not have any slow music in that three-minute program. So it was a lot of steps per second, and with the samba [pattern] last season, it felt like 1000 more steps than any other program we had ever done, and at a quick tempo. It was so hard at the beginning. The music is very driving. If you’re not going [fast enough], it’s going to be apparent.

Fear: And if you’re late? Good-bye, it’s over. It was a very demanding program.

Q: So, after being fourth at Worlds for two years now, and fourth at the Grand Prix Final a couple times, what do you think you need to do to take that next step and make it onto those podiums?

Fear: I think we’re really on track. We’ve honestly worked so much on skating skills over the past two years. And those really started to come through in our performances this year, to show that we are powerful and strong skaters. To really showcase that and highlight it in these new programs this season will be a wonderful opportunity. Our turns improved; we had a lot of technical improvement the past season. So we’re on track. I think consistency is key, and seeing how much we can push the performance of our technique in training, and bring that to competition. And just continuing to be us and push the creative envelope. And be willing to explore things, even when the stakes are high.