Every Friday dozens of people, mostly kids, pack into the cafeteria at Lanakila Elementary School to practice one of the most recognized and beloved customs of Chinese New Year.

The traditional lion dance, performed everywhere from temples to convenience stores, will usher in this new lunar Year of the Rat on Thursday.

And this year is particularly special. Not only is 2008 a leap year, it also ends in one of the most auspicious numbers in Chinese culture. (When spoken, the word "eight" sounds like "prosperity.")

Comfortably clad in T-shirts and loose-fitting pants — sewn by a student's mom — the dancers stretched, rehearsed on drums and cymbals, and practiced dancing under a strikingly ornate Chinese lion costume.

This is serious work.

In just three weeks, the group will perform more than 70 lion dances, from the Coral Kingdom in Kahalu'u to The Honolulu Advertiser building downtown. If they're lucky, the members will raise at least $18,000 — the nonprofit's annual operating budget — by the time Chinese New Year is over.

"By the time it's over, by the time we're done, we barely break even," said Jeffrey Lam, the 45-year-old head instructor. "We're a nonprofit ... and our expenses are so high. By the time we're done, we won't have anything to show for it."

But they're not doing this to make money.

The Chinese Lion Dance Association was founded 20 years ago to promote and perpetuate an appreciation for the Chinese culture in Hawai'i. It was the first group to bring the sport of pole-jumping, or jong lion dance, to the state in 2002.

These jongs, or steel poles, range in height from 3 to 8 feet. The two dancers in the Chinese lion costume bound from one pole to another, using the upward movement to symbolize climbing a mountain or crossing a bridge.

The back dancer — under the lion's tail — can't see the jongs at all. He has to trust the dancer in front and take that leap — literally — of faith.

"It's actually not as dangerous as other sports," said 19-year-old Kevin Lau, who's been performing lion dance for at least 15 years. (It took him almost two years to master the jongs.) "We learn how to fall properly. I've gotten more injured playing baseball."

Lau is the kind of teen the nonprofit hopes to continue to attract.

He's a third-generation Chinese-American who can't speak Cantonese anymore. He values his health and fitness, he loves to hang out with his friends, and he has specific career aspirations. And above all, he's committed to the sport.

"I like that I'm helping to perpetuate the culture," Lau said. "And our group is really unique. We're really close friends with each other. Most of us have known each other since we were 8 or 9 years old. It's not like in baseball, where you might play with one guy for one season and you never see him again. (In this group) we always keep in touch. We stick together for a lifetime."

Kekoa James, 11, remembers seeing his first Chinese lion dance performance during a new year celebration in Chinatown. He wasn't yet 5.

"I thought it was really cool because I didn't know what it was," he said, excitedly. "I just liked it."

He's been learning lion dance himself now for about six years, doing everything from playing drums to serving as the lion's head.

It's been a scheduling challenge for Kekoa, who also plays soccer, participates in Boy Scouts and needs time to do homework and play video games.

But for his mom, Elen, the juggling has been well worth the effort.

Kekoa isn't as shy as he used to be, she says; he's more independent, and he's learning about the Chinese culture — though he's Filipino, Dutch and Native American.

"He's met a lot of people from different cultures, and that's good," she said. "It consumes all this time, but he enjoys it."

Lam hopes this year — 2008 — brings good fortune to his nonprofit, which has about 50 active members. He'd love to open more branches, recruit more kids and find the ones who will someday take over the school and continue to perpetuate the lion dance and its culture.

And there's no better time than the new year to set goals and contemplate the future, Lam said.

"Everything is fresh, everything is good," Lam said. "Everyone is trying to perfect and supreme. That's what's nice about it."

Catherine E. Toth is a former Advertiser writer. Read her blog, The Daily Dish, at http://blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.