Behind the roller door of an unremarkable industrial estate in Western Sydney, drums thunder and a bright yellow lion makes daring leaps from pole to pole.
There are no animals here, but a small group of talented young men readying to bless businesses, release firecrackers, and wow crowds with acrobatic pole jumping across the city for a busy Lunar New Year.
Practising just three nights before their first performances is dance troupe and martial arts academy Jin Wu Koon.
A busy period
Around 60 members make up the crew, who are scheduled to perform 100 times over the three-week period.
Jin Wu Koon is lead by 35-year-old Willis Koh, who says the period begins with a shop-to-shop blessing in Sydney's Chinatown.
"The lions will come to each shop and each shop has the option of having a lettuce and red pack in front of the shop for the lions to pluck," Mr Koh says.
"'Lettuce' sounds like 'birth' or 'fortune' in Chinese, hence why the lion plucks the lettuce."
The lion takes the lettuce from the shop before shredding it and throwing it at the shop to wish them good fortune.
Traditionally lion dances are used to ward off bad spirits and bring in good luck for the new year, Mr Koh says.
"It is accompanied by the drums, cymbals, and firecrackers that represent loud banging and sounds, which scare away the evil spirits as well," Mr Koh says.
"Together with the lion coordinating with the drums and firecrackers, it all presents a very loud and colourful display."
Elevating a tradition
The troupe wanted to elevate lion dancing to another level. Mr Koh and fellow dancer Henry Lo decided to bring in pole jumping in 2007.
Two people at a time will make up the lion, one holding the head and one behind as the tail.
The "tail" person, who creates the forward movement, will regularly lift the "head" person and launch them forward to complete a jump without disconnecting the lion.
Pole jumping performances can go for upwards of 15 minutes, which requires the performers to have plenty of strength and stamina to keep going through high-risk routines without making a mistake.
"We also do a lot of mobility, strength training, and stretching. It all keeps us well rounded when it comes to lion dance," Mr Koh says.
Injuries can be nasty on the poles. Dancer Ian Lim was playing the "head" role when he missed a landing plate, hitting chest-first instead.
"I broke seven ribs, four on [one] side, three on [the other side], and also my sternum," Mr Lim says.
"That put me up for about three months. Wasn't very fun."
However, the painful experience did not put him off.
"You've got to get back on the horse and push through," Mr Lim says.
"You've got to do it because you love it."
As well as taking lion dancing to dizzying new heights, the troupe also competes in pole jumping at competitions in Asia.
The team won the title for the best lion dance troupe in the Western world at the world championship in Malaysia.
Keeping the tradition alive
Performing in a western country means the group can form their own culture, as well as perform the traditional dances.
The troupe performs at birthdays, weddings, and more recently gender reveal parties.
"You don't really see gender reveal[s] in Asia, in particular in China," Mr Koh says.
"Since we're in Sydney, Australia, we've managed to mix the best of the Western and Eastern culture together to make it our own here."
For Mr Koh, elevating the lion dance is key to keeping interest in the tradition.
"There are different cultures that we adopt in the Western world in Australia and we've tried to adopt that into our performances to make it more modern," Mr Koh told ABC Radio Sydney.
