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Photos: Lai Lai Ballroom Celebration Brings Much-Needed Healing After Monterey Park Mass Shooting

By Pablo Unzueta
Published May 23, 2023 5:00 AM
An Asian woman in a blue dress and heels is being held aloft by her dance partner, whose hands on her waist are the only thing visible. Her one toe is pointed and the other knee is tucked, and one arm is held up while the other is stretched to the side in a kind of L shape. An audience looks on in a dance studio with purple-lit walls.
Millie and Paul Cao perform on May 20, 2023 at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, which held a special Community Dance in a moment of healing months after a mass shooter was disarmed, averting further tragedy in January.
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)
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IN THIS ARTICLE

Months after a gunman killed 11 people and injured nine others at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, the nearby Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra held a weekend of celebration and healing as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Lai Lai would likely have been the site of a second tragedy that day in January, but for the intervention of Brandon Tsay, whose family owns the venue. Tsay wrestled with and disarmed the shooter inside the entryway not long after the Star Ballroom Dance Studio shooting took place.

Tsay, who hosted the event over the weekend, said the community dance was organized to demonstrate not only the resilience and strength of the community, but how dancing can continue to bring people together in spite of a tragic event.

The event featured professional dancers, a comedy show, and traditional food. It was organized by the nonprofit Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California.

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Community members slowly made their way onto the dance floor afterwards, and danced in pairs, in a much-needed moment of healing.

Their story in pictures

Brandon Tsay, a young Asian man with a short beard and short hair, stands on the asphalt in a parking lot in front of a building labeled "Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio."
Brandon Tsay
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

Brandon Tsay stands in front his family’s dance studio, the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra on May 20, 2023, where he disarmed a mass shooter on Jan. 21. Moments before, that same man shot and killed 11 people dead at a nearby dance studio in Monterey Park. Tsay was the co-host of the Community Dance during an evening of healing.
Two dancers spinning on a ballroom floor in a blur of motion, their colorful costumes fading into ghostly images superimposed on a purple and black background.
A long exposure of Pavel “Pasha” Balykin and Charmeen Wing performing at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio.
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)
A group of people who all appear to be of Asian descent, many of them older, are seated in a studio in front of a purple wall lined with images of dancers. A few are wearing protective face coverings, and some are smiling while others look intently on, bathed in light from whatever they're watching.
Members of the community gather around to watch the performances.
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

An Asian man wearing glasses and a suit with no tie holds a microphone and addresses a crowd that's visible in the mirror behind him. He stands in front of giant letters stuffed with orange and purple balloons. A neon sign with Chinese characters lit in red hangs above him, along with a string of lights, in the purple-walled studio.
Joe Wong
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

Joe Wong, a Chinese American stand-up comedian, kicks off the event.
A couple dances off to one side on an otherwise empty dance floor. The floor is lit dimly red and speckled with disco lights. Giant letters standing along one side spell "Lai Lai" and above is a neon sign with Chinese characters glowing red.
The dance floor
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

Couples hit the dance floor under colorful lights.
Two aged, wrinkled hands are clasped. A green spotlight falls on their interlaced fingers in an otherwise dimly lit scene.
A close up of dancers moving hand-in-hand.
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)
A silhouette of two dancers against purple shades. One dancer lifts the other's hand overhead and moves them through a turn.
Dancers are backlit as they make a turn.
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

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An woman in a light blue dress sits on a bench against a window with purple shades drawn, either lifting or setting down a big. A man sits next to her.
Millie Cao
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

Millie Cao takes a break after performing. She fled Vietnam with her husband and dance partner, Paul Cao, and sought refuge in the U.S., where they've now lived for more than 40 years. The couple starred in an Oscar-nominated short documentary about reuniting in California and reinventing themselves on the dance floor.
A pair of dancers who appear to be of Asian descent take the dance floor. The man, dressed in black pants and a blue button-down shirt, leads by the hand a woman who is dressed in a green dress. Behind them on the edge of the dance floor stand giant letters that read "Lai Lai." They appear to be moving through quick footwork and their arms are in motion.
Dancing pair
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

Neon red letters read "Lai Lai" on a wall near where a pair of dancers moves across the floor.
A couple sit at a table at a dance club. Both appear to be older and of Asian descent. The man wears glasses and a short-sleeved shirt. The woman wears a dress. In the background more people are sitting at tables and beyond that are the silhouettes of couples on the dance floor. The scene is mostly lit in purple hues.
Taking a break
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

Dancers take a break to share some food and drink.
An Asian woman dressed in white pants with a white, long-sleeved, button-down shirt and black belt stands alone in a room. Behind her, through a doorway, a refrigerator is seen. Along one wall is a sink.
Joyce Tsay
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio founder, Joyce Tsay, the grandmother of Brandon Tsay, takes a brief moment to herself before going back outside to greet members of the community.
Purple and white balloons are arranged in an arch over an inside wall decorated with real or artificial carnations. Lettering stuck to the wall reads "Lai Lai."
A balloon arch and paper flowers on display for the evening.
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)
People who all appear to be of Asian descent are seated at tables at what looks like a night club. Disco lights bounce off the back wall, which is lined with photos of people dancing.
Members of the community gather around to enjoy the dancers.
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

A woman waters a plant in front of the white brick exterior of Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio. She's standing beneath a large vent and pouring water from a white bucket.
Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)
A couple dance close together on a dance floor. The man has his hand placed on the small of the woman's back, and with the other hand he's holding up her arm. In the background people look on, seated against a wall with sunlight filtering through purple shades.
Taking a turn on the floor
(Pablo Unzueta
/
for LAist)

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