Asian elders return to the ballroom after the Monterey Park shooting: ‘Dancing takes me to joy’

A year after a gunman opened fire at a nearby dance studio, the Lai Lai Ballroom is a refuge, with neon-lit dancefloors and Cantonese pop hits

On a Tuesday afternoon in mid-January, a dozen older Asian couples twirled to classic Cantonese pop hits on the neon-lit dancefloor at Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio, a beloved venue in Alhambra. The studio emanated a lush serenity of retirement bliss: between songs, dancers dressed in casual sweaters and long skirts retreated to cafe tables to chat over water and hot tea.

That the Lai Lai Ballroom remains a refuge for immigrant Asian seniors felt like a quiet miracle to some. One year ago, on 21 January 2023, a gunman opened fire at the nearby Star Ballroom and Studio, killing 11 people in the worst mass shooting in modern Los Angeles county history. All but one of the shooter's victims were in their 60s or 70s. The shooter, Huu Can Tran, went to Lai Lai next, where its third-generation co-owner Brandon Tsay tackled and disarmed him. Despite the horror, many survivors have resumed dancing, both as a way to heal and an expression of defiance.