On top of that hill, it came to him - he should develop his own style of dance.

As he pondered this revelation, he looked down over the prairie with its swaying and swooping grasses. This, he realized, this could be his dance.

And thus, so it is said, is the origin of the grass dance one might see at a powwow. Men wear strands of yarn or ribbon, hanging from their arms and waist to represent grass in the spirit world. Their graceful dance flows like the rippling prairie grasses.

The youth of the Men's Fancy Feather dancers and their brilliantly colored outfits, with double bustles behind their backs and small bustles on the arms, are clues for what spectators look for of this energetic dance.

In this Fancy dance in particular, a friendly competition may develop between the singers and the dancers because stopping with the end beat can mean winning or losing points. The singers will perform "trick songs," with unexpected last beats to throw of the dancers.