Last Tango in Paris! Engaged couple dance their way around the world taking gravity-defying photos in iconic destinations

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A globe-trotting couple have put even the most dedicated selfie takers to shame, with a selection of stunning photographs in impressive dance poses around the world.  

Ashlee Montague, 24,  and her fiancé Richard Hanke, 28, who live in New York, first met in 2007 while dancing together at the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, and have spent most of the last two years training hand-to-hand and acrobatic ballet.

Ashlee explained: 'We started dating the following summer and did long-distance for six months - Richard was dancing in Miami, and I in Seattle. Richard later moved to Seattle, and together we left for New York in 2009.'  

Ashlee Montague and Richard Hanke perform a pas de deux lift in Paris. The duo met at the Rock School for Dance Education, Philadelphia

She told MailOnline Travel: 'When we ask someone to take a picture of us we like to surprise them and don't tell them we're about to do something acrobatic. It's fun to see their reactions. 

'Some people try to walk in closer to us for a typical two person photo and we have to ask them to step back because they won't get both of us in the shot. 

'This is usually met with a confused "okay" and a few steps back. More often than not the surprise leads to a mediocre picture because they spend most of the time watching us instead of the screen, but to us that's a huge compliment.' 

The dancing duo have spent the last two years training hand-to-hand and acrobatic ballet. Pictured here in a pointe in hands backbend

The couple dream of performing for a major circus company or production. Pictured here on the Pont de Bir Hakeim, in Paris

The pair are both trained in classical ballet and have performed at numerous locations around the world, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

'It wasn't until we met some friends who are aerialists that we discovered the circus arts in 2011.

'In 2013 we decided we really wanted to pursue hand-to-hand as a career, and that's when we found our coach Jerome in Montreal. Now we are doing things now that we never would have dreamed about four years ago.'  

Ashlee Montague and her fiancé Richard Hanke show off their acrobatic prowess at the Trocadero Museum, in Paris

In spite of her passion for discovering new styles of dance, Miss Montague insists that twerking is not for her. 'Tried it once, it was embarrassing,' she says.

'For the immediate future we'd like to perform for a major circus company or production.

'We have big dreams for a two person show, but our ideas aren't fully together yet. A good production or touring contract now will give us the chance to gather our thoughts and ideas in our free time.'  

The elagent pair are perfectly silhouetted against a Parisien sky at the Trocadero Museum with Eiffel Tower in the background

'Richard proposed on Christmas Eve, 2013 in New York City. He read somewhere that something women regret most on their engagement is not having their nails done in the pictures of their hands.

'He cleverly plotted for me to get my nails done with my friend while he set up roses, champagne, and little bags with letters for me to find. It was the most awesomely romantic thing ever.'

Left, Ashlee balances on Richard's head in New York, and right, the agile dancer stands on her fiance's shoulders in front of the Eiffel Tower

In spite of her passion for discovering new styles of dance, Ashlee insists that twerking is not for her. The couple are pictured here, doing an arabesque in front of the grand fireplace at the Opera Garnier, Paris

The pair go to great lengths to take the perfect shot. Here, they pose on top of statues at the Trocadero Museum Circus, in Paris

A pointe on shoulders at the Louvre Museum, in Paris. The couple have both trained in classical ballet and performed at numerous ballet schools and even the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Left, Richard and Ashlee mimick a statue in Midtown New York City, and right, the oair strike a pose on Tower Bridge, London

Although the couple work together often, they have learnt how not to get on one another's nerves. Pictured in Times Square, New York City

'We have big dreams for a two person show, but our ideas aren't fully together yet,' Ashlee says. A pointe on shoulders at the Louvre Museum

The couple perform a balancing act at the Opera Garnier in Paris, left, and at Rattlesnake Ridge, in Washington

It's not all glamorous: The engaged duo 

The duo do a handstand in hands at Disneyland, Paris, left, and a one arm handstand in hands outside the Rockefeller Centre, New York City