The Southern Lion Dance sprang from the dreams of a Tang Dynasty emperor who described a mythical dragon-phoenix beast saving his life. Thus began a colorful tradition of noisy lion dances to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck, especially at New Year. During the Qing Dynasty, when the Chinese rebelled against Manchurian overlords, revolutionary martial artists passed messages and money from village to village during the dance. These days, kung fu practitioners train with a "sifu" to learn stances and dances that showcase strength and agility. Modern lion dancing is done at weddings, celebrations, store openings and New Year festivals. Chinese New Year begins Feb. 9; by Chinese calendar, it is the Year of the Rooster, 4702.

The Head

Royal Tan, 14, of the Mak Fai Washington Kung Fu Club in Seattle's Chinatown International District, recently took three first places in regional kung fu competition, but says he likes lion dancing better than kung fu because it's a harder workout that makes him sweat more. During the summer, Tan performs almost daily. As a child growing up in the Chinatown International District, he'd rush to see lion dancers in the streets whenever he heard the telltale gong, cymbals and drum, in this way watching more than 30 dances a year.

"When I was 3 years old, I went to China to visit, and it was New Year and I saw a lion dance, and I thought it was pretty cool because they were jumping around. I bought a small lion head just to have it around the house. Then I saw they had lion dances in Seattle. I live here, so I just watch and learn whenever I can."

So after all those years watching, how did it feel the first time you got under the lion's head ?

"It was heavy!"

How do you decide what moves to make the lion do?

"What Sifu taught me, it's (the lion's) daily routine. You bow in and jump in, then go to sleep. You sit down on the floor to make it more entertaining, scratching your eyes and biting the tail. After that, you raise the lion head. You make a sharp stance and hop. You start walking around and doing tricks. Sometimes we hop onto the bench. Sometimes you stand on (your partner's) legs or shoulders and he throws you up really high and you do kicks. Every time I do the lion head I get stronger. It's kind of like you're lifting weights."

The Tail

Prosper Van, 14, has been studying kung fu almost three years.

"Normally, I'm always the tail because there's always someone better than me as the head. The tail is hard because you have to follow (your partner's) foot movement, predict what they're going to do. If you're taller than the head, you have to keep low. You don't want your head to be showing or Sifu will tell you it looks more like a camel than a lion. It's hard on your back, but you get used to it. Shaking to make the tail look alive, that tires your arms out. But it's all really fun. In the tail, you feel cool, jumping, making these cool movements. It's better than standing playing an instrument."