Strange Fruit, the hard-to-describe Australian troupe that entertained crowds at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival in 2007, are back this year for a return appearance.

Thursday featured the first two of six performances of a work called "The Three Belles" from the troupe of aerial acrobats/dancers who work on giant swaying poles. Photographer Melanie Maxwell captured these images:

Free performances continue Friday, July 1 at 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; and Saturday, July 2 at 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the festival's Top of the Park, at Ingalls Mall on East Washington Street. For more information, see this article from AnnArbor.com or the Summer Festival website.

Melanie Maxwell is a photographer for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at melaniemaxwell@annarbor.com. Follow AnnArbor.com photography on Facebook at AnnArbor.com Photo and on Twitter at @AnnArborPhoto.