Canadian Olympic skater swapping ice blades for roller boots to perform on Teesside

A Canadian world champion skater will swap his ice skates for roller blades as he wheels into Tees Valley for the premiere of a new production.

Gary Beacom will be joining the dance-theatre production inspired by the bicentennial of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Gary will be flying into the North-East direct from his home in Tokyo to be one of the stars of "Departing at 18:25" being presented by the Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance.

A former Olympian, Gary has performed with some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment including Torvill and Dean, and he will be gracing the stages of The Georgian Theatre, Stockton on November 29 and Theatre Hullabaloo in Darlington on November 30.

READ MORE: Stockton MP claims bins and waste collection changes are a 'flytippers' charter'

READ MORE: Pervert 'had hot water thrown over him' in prison and has moved cells for protection

Gary has been skating for 57-years, which translates into 20,000 hours of experience, all of which will be on view throughout the 80-minute show.

Gary has performed on ice rinks and in arenas around the globe accumulating over 1,000,000 air miles where he has visited Australia, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, and USA…so Darlington and Stockton can now be proudly added to that list.

Departing at 18:25 explores the simple idea of how our lives can be compared to a train journey, where we board the train and get off at various stations along the way to explore new experiences.

The show combines different dance and music styles from Tango, Afrobeat, Traditional Irish…and even roller-skating. All on-stage and under the one roof. There is even a visual artist creating a live artwork during the performance.

Gary was asked about what audiences can expect from Departing at 18:25 and why performing on stage is different to the ice rink.

He said: "People can expect musicality and spirit throughout the show. As a performer being onstage means that you have a closer proximity to the audience and it is more intimate."

As a tip for any young aspiring Teesside skaters, Gary said: "Always be patient in building technique in the correct sequence without getting into bad habits."

Following on from the two Stockton and Darlington shows, Departing at 18:25 will later return to the region next year as part of Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dances 60th anniversary celebrations. It will expand in size as dancers from around the world will interpret the show and bring to the stage their own experiences of the railway.

For breaking news in your area direct to your inbox every day, go here to sign up to our free newsletter