Aretha Franklin, star skaters team up at Sears Centre

Ice skating will receive an unlikely pairing in September at the Sears Centre thanks to the Queen of Soul.

R&B legend Aretha Franklin will sing while ice skating stars, including Olympians Sarah Hughes and Sasha Cohen, take the rink for Fashion on Ice. Tickets go on sale for the general public on Monday. A presale has already begun.

Both male and female skaters will perform while wearing clothes from top designers including Betsey Johnson and J. Mendel.

The Sears Centre will host the show on Saturday, Sept. 24, and NBC will broadcast the performance on Sunday, Nov. 13. Comcast-Spectacor, which operates the Sears Centre and whose parent company owns NBC, is producing the show.

Franklin, 69, is a 20-time Grammy winner. She'll sing live for the broadcast and skaters will perform to her recorded music. She enjoyed a bevy of chart-topping hits in the '60s including "Respect," and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." Last year, she brushed back rumors that she had cancer after having surgery for an undisclosed health problem.

Other skaters include Joannie Rochette, Alissa Czisny, Ryan Bradley and Jeremy Abbott.

Tickets could be purchased at searscentre.com or (888) SEARS-TIX and range between $45 and $152.