Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio, where Brandon Tsay thwarted the man who gunned down 11 in Monterey Park almost a year ago, is set to host a Community Remembrance Fair on Saturday, Jan. 13.
The event seeks to celebrate resilience and unity within the Asian American Pacific Islander community by highlighting the continued gathering of dancers at the studio in the face of the past tragedy, organizers said.
Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio stands for community, Tsay said. The event will serve as a reminder and celebrate the progress the community has made together in resilience and healing, he said.
“With that said, I want everyone to be invited so we can elevate the rhythm of our health,” Tsay said. “This month is an opportunity to expose the Asian community to health resources and alternative therapeutic services such as music and dance. By sharing this moment with a wide range of community members we hope to foster a stronger bond and a sense of familial harmony.”
It was the Tsay family’s Alhambra studio where on the night of Jan. 21 Tsay wrestled a gun away from the shooter, who had traveled from the Monterey Park scene at Star Ballroom Dance Studio to Lai Lai, where he appeared intent on more bloodshed.
Organizers hope to use the event as a platform to raise awareness of the resources accessible to those impacted by the tragedy.
“With the upcoming anniversary, there’s a lot more anxiety in the community,” said Sheila Wu, director of Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers (APCTC), one of the organizations involved in the event’s planning.
“And so we thought, why don’t we put together something that is going to be at the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio to bring people back to what they love, which was dancing and which was the community,” she said.
The Community Remembrance Fair will take place at Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio from 1 to 3 pm on Saturday, Jan.13. The free event will feature guest speakers, a health service fair, dance lessons, a…
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