Aerial dancer suspended by balloons; saxophonists perform at NATO opening ceremony

Something strange was in the air at the opening ceremony for the NATO summit: an aerial dancer floating down to the stage, suspended by an enormous mound of blue and white balloons.

The woman, dressed in a white dancer's costume, waved her arms with a delicate grace as she descended slowly toward the floor of the Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels, Belgium, where more than two dozen world leaders stood below.

As the dancer neared the ground, the complexity of her moves began to increase as she incorporated multiple flips into her routine.

President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were among the heads of state taking in the odd display from the ground.

But the bizarre antics didn't stop with the balloons. A line of about two dozen saxophonists in bowler hats also performed for the group, with the aerial dancer still bobbing in the air above them.

The NATO summit has been a strange one so far.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump issued a blistering attack on Germany, criticizing the country for a gas pipeline deal it struck with Russia.

"Germany is totally controlled by Russia," Trump said, calling the deal the greatest threat to the NATO alliance.

"So we're protecting Germany, we're protecting France, we're protecting all of these countries and then numerous of these countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia where they're paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia," Trump said. "So we're supposed to protect you against Russia, but they're paying billions of dollars to Russia. I think that's very inappropriate."