Simon Ferguson wraps himself around a silver pole, tearing off a high-vis shirt and tradie shorts to reveal bright pink speedos, with the word "hero" emblazoned across a taut muscular backside.
Holding out for a Hero plays at top volume and women scream as Mr Ferguson clings to the pole by his arms, performing a horizontal body ripple.
For someone who describes himself as painfully shy, and an "extreme introvert", performing before hundreds of people has been a surprisingly invigorating experience.
As a male pole dancer, he's in a minority and attracts increased attention.
"Generally when I tell people that I'm a pole dancer, people are pretty interested," Mr Ferguson said.
"There's a few misconceptions that come along with pole dancing so they're pretty keen to ask a whole heap of questions to find out if I'm a stripper or not."
Men take up pole dancing
Just over two years since his first class, Mr Ferguson is heading to a national pole-dancing competition in Adelaide this weekend — and has his eyes on second place.
While last year only a couple of men competed across the entire country, competition organisers saw a dramatic increase in men participating in state heats this year, with four men moving through to the national finals.
When he walked into Darwin's 3D Fitness pole-dance studio for the first time in 2021, Mr Ferguson was full of apprehension and nerves.
"I was very self-conscious. I was confident I was going to be the only man in there," he said.
The one-hour class was an intense workout that pushed his physical limits.
"I felt like I was going to vomit," he said.
Exhausted and sick, he was hooked.
Marianne Paris owns Darwin's 3D Fitness where Mr Ferguson trains, and while many pole-dancing studios are only open to women, hers is a mixed-gender studio.
"We felt it was really important to keep the doors open to everyone," Ms Paris said.
Stephen Beyer, 52, who has been pole dancing there for almost 10 years, says the studio fosters an encouraging environment for everyone, even if as a straight man he is in the minority.
"It shouldn't really matter if you're a guy, girl, gay or straight, you're just there to spin around on a pole and hopefully not fall on your head," Mr Beyer said.
How men have changed pole dancing
Mr Ferguson's arms flex as he climbs the pole like a monkey, and then swings from one arm to hold himself upside down before flipping to the floor.
"Pole used to be virtually all women until a decade or so ago, and then guys started to get involved," Mr Beyer said.
"Previous to that it was a lot more dancey, pretty, lovely and flexible.
"But guys — that's not where their strength lay."
As men developed skills in pole dancing, they introduced more strength-based tricks and new styles.
"Men tend to be more naturally strong, but their pain tolerance tends to be a less," Ms Paris said.
More gain, more pain
Wearing a hard hat with "hero" written in pink sparkles across the front, Mr Ferguson flexes his biceps mid-routine.
"I hate leg holds, I just find them absolutely painful," he said.
"Most women find that a very natural and comfortable hold, whereas I tend to do tricks that engage my hands and my shoulders with the pole."
Mr Ferguson's pole-dancing routine is comedic. Other performances range from sexy to yoga and gym-like, as individuals develop styles to suit their personality and physicality.
"It's very accepting and forgiving, you can choose the style you want," Mr Beyer said.
But he says he cannot describe himself as a dancer.
"I've got the elegance of a fish on the shore," Mr Beyer said.
"I'm more of a pole trickster, because I can do all the tricks but I can't dance in between."
Opening doors to creative expression
Mr Ferguson signed up for pole dancing for the physical challenge and has been surprised to discover he enjoys choreographing his own routines, making costuming and props, and the thrill of performance.
"My mother is a very creative person and for a long time I was jealous because I thought it had skipped me," he said.
As he started to perform, first in Darwin and then further afield, Mr Ferguson borrowed a friend's sewing machine, adding sequins and sewing in velcro so that outfits could be torn off mid-routine.
"All of that is just another layer of creative expression that I had hoped was in me but wasn't sure that it was," he said.
While Mr Ferguson has been training intensely for the national championships and is hopeful of taking out second place, there will be some relief when it's over.
"I thoroughly enjoy that performing aspect, but as soon as the routine's done, I don't want people to look at me anymore, the introvert kicks back in," he said.