The owner of Star Ballroom Dance Studio, the site of the horrific mass shooting that cost 11 dancers their lives earlier this year, confirmed this week that she has “almost” made up her mind that she won’t reopen the business.
“I don’t think I want to reopen again,” said owner Maria Liang on Wednesday, May 24. “It’s still difficult to return to the same spot to work.”
Liang, who took over the Monterey Park dance studio in 2013, would be open to offers from potential buyers, but said that no one so far has approached her about taking over the business.
Both Liang and many in the community lamented the likely closure of what had been a longtime fixture in the typically quiet city.
Star Ballroom Dance Studio, which opened on West Garvey Avenue in 1990, offered a variety of dance lessons with renowned professional instructors. It also served as a social hub, particularly for immigrants seeking to form friendships through dance lessons and community events for over two decades.
But on Jan. 21, the start of the Lunar New Year, that community safe haven was shattered when a lone shooter entered and opened fire in the studio with seemingly no motive. Eleven elderly dancers — My My Nhan, LiLan Li, Xiujuan Yu, Muoi Dai Ung, Hongying Jian, Yu-Lun Kao, Chia Ling Yau, Valentino Marcos Alvero, Wen-Tau Yu, Diana Man Ling Tom, and Ming Wei Ma, the studio’s original owner — were killed inside.
The gunman, Huu Can Tran, 72, of Hemet, would minutes later enter the nearby Lai Lai Ballroom & Dance Studio in Alhambra, where a second attack was thwarted. He would ultimately flee to Torrance, where he shot and killed himself the next day.
In the aftermath, the city rallied to support its community in an ongoing recovery effort. Asian Americans Advancing Justice raised over $1 million for victims of the tragedy, and is holding regular bystander intervention trainings.
A Monterey Park Community Fund is collecting donations to foster connectivity and…
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