The Mayo family performs a traditional dragon dance for Chinese New Year. (KCAW photo/Emily Forman)

The Mayo family performs a traditional dragon dance for Chinese New Year. (KCAW photo/Emily Forman)

What does it take to bring a Chinese New Year celebration to Sitka? A trip to Beijing to learn Tai Chi and fall in love with Summer. Or, at least that was Michael Mayo’s route. Michael and Summer met in Beijing in 2001. Summer has been a Sitka resident for the past four years, and is now a member of the Mayo family. She says she typically travels home to Beijing for the Chinese New Year, but this year she wanted to share the tradition with the community that she has grown to love.

The Mayo family performs a traditional dragon dance for Chinese New Year. (KCAW photo/Emily Forman)

The Mayo family performs a traditional dragon dance for Chinese New Year. (KCAW photo/Emily Forman)

Mayo family and friends dressed in black with red sashes waited for their musical cue to begin the dragon dance. Michael’s son Noah, says the point is to “make the dragon fly.”

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