Tightrope walker stuns Parisians with Montmartre performance

Tightrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga advances on a tightrope as she scales the Monmartre hill towards the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

PARIS (Reuters) - French tightrope artist Tatiana-Mosio Bongonga impressed hundreds of Parisians on Saturday with a performance that featured a walk on a rope suspended 35 meters (115 feet) above the ground in the city's hilly northern district of Montmartre.

Bongonga, 34, walked on a rope suspended by a crane at the base of the hill's steps toward the Sacre Coeur basilica accompanied by a chamber orchestra, without any security equipment, a gesture many in the audience found nerve-wracking.

"It's very surprising and very dangerous. It really impressed me, actually. I noticed that she was not secured. There was a lot of acrobatics. I had a really good time," spectator Jennifer Mandelbaum told Reuters.

Tightrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga advances on a tightrope as she scales the Monmartre hill towards the Sacre Coeur Basilica (not pictured) in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Acrobats practising tightrope walking, also called funambulism, maintain their balance by positioning their center of mass directly over their base of support, a rope or a wire.

Bongonga, who prepared for the show for a year, has been practising tightrope walking since she was 8.

Tightrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga hangs from a tightrope as she pauses while scaling the Monmartre hill towards the Sacre Coeur Basilica (not pictured) in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

(Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Matthias Blamont; Editing by James Dalgleish)

Tightrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga advances on a tightrope as she scales the Monmartre hill towards the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Tightrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga reacts after she scaled the Monmartre hill towards the Sacre Coeur Basilica (not pictured) on a tightrope in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Tightrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga advances on a tightrope as she scales the Monmartre hill towards the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

TIghtrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga stretches as she warms-up before walking a tightrope on the Monmartre hill below the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

TIghtrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga stretches as she warms-up before walking a tightrope on the Monmartre hill below the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

TIghtrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga stretches as she warms-up before walking a tightrope on the Monmartre hill below the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

TIghtrope walker Tatian-Mosio Bongonga prepares to walk a tightrope on the Monmartre hill below the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris, France, July 20, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer