ONLOOKERS were wowed as daredevil acrobats on high wires danced between the buildings on the Brighton skyline more than 160 feet in the air.

Yesterday, the aerial artists from French company Retouramont were getting in some practice ahead of the UK premiere of their high flying show Clairière Urbaine.

Residents around Lavender Street were left in awe as the acrobats soared between Wiltshire House and Hereford Court with some getting a close up view of the acrobatics going on outside their windows.

They flip, dance and fly over the city, performing in what they call “the void” between the blocks as well as on the walls of the flats.

The performers go as high as 164 feet, or 50 metres, into the air.

Choreographer Fabrice Guillot said: “A lot of the people who walked past wanted to try it out.

“Some of them were frightened and many were astonished. One of the reasons I like to work in a public place is to create this kind of surprise and new kinds of situation in the city.”

Clairière Urbaine is being performed as part of the Brighton Festival on Saturday and is a free outdoor performance.

The aerial choreography is designed to repurpose the spaces in the city with anchoring attached between the two high-rises.

Mr Guillot said “It creates new stories in the city and it is a way to change the city.

“We have to look at our environment, it is important to create some propositions in it, not just function.

“We go to schools, go to banks, but we want to take a public space to propose another moment, another story, to break with the normal use.”

The idea stemmed from the choreographer’s passion for rock climbing and he wanted to conquer the landscape of both the natural world and the city.

He said: “As a climber, cliffs or boulders are limits you want to go over. I like when this movement can also be inventive and aesthetic.

“In the city, I find this desire for crossing and going over particularly joyful and creative.”

The show runs on Saturday at 3pm and 6pm, and the event is free.

For more information go to brightonfestival.org/event/8187/clairire_urbaine.