HUMAN flips, jumps and dives were being practised as a team of Gwent freerunners prepared for an appearance at Cardiff Bay this weekend.

Frazer Meek and Dom Evans, both 17, and Tom Masterson, Lewys Jones and Mike McKenna, all 16, are all from Newport, Pontypool and Cwmbran.

After seeing internet clips and television documentaries on freerunning five years ago, they decided to form their own group - Team Fluidity.

Since then the group regularly train around Pontypool in between studying at school and college and have also now started coaching people of all ages at Torfaen gym.

Mr Meek said: "I saw documentaries on freerunning and as a group of friends we formed the team. We practise whenever we can around the area as well as training and coaching at the gym. It is just for the pure enjoyment that we practise so much."

The group, which also has members from Cardiff and Carmarthen, is now looking forward to this weekend's performance at Wales Millennium Centre's Breakin' the Bay urban arts festival.

The three day festival started yesterday and runs till tomorrow and will see a number of live hip-hop performances from dancers, DJs and rappers.

Team Fluidity will be performing outside around the bay area from 1pm onwards today and tomorrow.

Mr Meek added: "Although we train all the time we have only done a few performances so we are looking forward to this weekend and any other performances we can get. We are keen to perform as much as we can."

FREE running is derived from Parkour, which originated in Paris. The idea behind the craze is getting around typical urban environments quickly, and in the case of free running, with as much style as possible.

There are no tools or equipment used apart from the human body and free running can involve negotiating tricky gaps or anything else the city or town presents a runner with.

The popularity of free running led to it being used in such films as Casino Royale and the Bourne Ultimatum, with high-octane rooftop chases.