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Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio founder Joyce Tsay, left, and her grandson and co-owner, Brandon Tsay, co-host a Community Dance to highlight the pride, strength, and resilience of the Asian American and Pacific Islander, AAPI, community at their ballroom in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. Brandon Tsay disarmed a mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations at his family's dance studio. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Community dancers practice their routines at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Vlad Ogurstov, left, and Kristi Semochko, professional teachers and dancers, walk back into the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. A Community Dance celebration hosted by Brandon Tsay, who disarmed a mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations at his family's dance studio, is part of events honoring Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Brandon Tsay, center, is honored by Los Angeles County Supervisor representing the 1st District Hilda Solis, left, and U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu during a Community Dance celebration at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. Tsay disarmed a mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations at his family's dance studio.(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, left, honors Brandon Tsay during a Community Dance celebration at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. Tsay disarmed a mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations at his family's dance studio. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Brandon Tsay, who disarmed a mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations at his family's dance studio, pauses outside Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio as he co-hosts a Community Dance to highlight the pride, strength, and resilience of the Asian American and Pacific Islander, AAPI, community in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Brandon Tsay, far right, pauses with members of the Tsay family and community members outside his family's dance studio at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. Tsay disarmed a mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations at the dance studio. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Chinese American stand-up comedian Joe Wong performs at Community Dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Lai Lai teacher and pro dancer Maksym Kapitanchuk dances with his student, Kanon Iwata, at the Community Dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The Community Dance event is part of the celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month hosted by co-owner, Brandon Tsay, the Lunar New Year hero who disarmed the mass shooter at his family's dance studio. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Lai Lai teacher and pro dancer Maksym Kapitanchuk dances with his student, Manon Iwata, at the Community Dance at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The Community Dance event is part of the celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month hosted by Brandon Tsay, the Lunar New Year hero who disarmed the mass shooter at his family's dance studio. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

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Pro dancers and teachers, Kristi Semochko, and Vlad Ogurstov perform at the Lai Lai Ballroom and Studio in Alhambra, Calif., on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The Community Dance is a celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, hosted by Brandon Tsay, who disarmed a mass shooter during Lunar New Year celebrations at his family's dance studio. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Celebration at California dance ballroom a sign of healing following Lunar New Year shooting

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 6:42 PM ET May 21, 2023 PUBLISHED May 21, 2023 @6:42 PM

ALHAMBRA, Calif. (AP) — A weekend celebration at a Southern California dance ballroom was hailed by organizers as the latest sign of healing within the Asian American community following the Lunar New Year shooting that killed 11 people at a nearby dance studio.

One of the hosts of Saturday's event at Lai Lai Ballroom in Alhambra was Brandon Tsay, who on Jan. 21 famously wrestled a semi-automatic weapon away from the gunman who had earlier shot up Star Ballroom Dance Studio in neighboring Monterey Park.

Tsay, whose family has owned Lai Lai Ballroom for years, said the celebration is an example of the community standing strong and moving forward after the tragedy.

“If you have these strong connections with one another, you’ll be able to support each other, lift each other up, even through times of crisis such as what happened earlier this year," Tsay said, according to ABC 7.

The event, part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, featured dancing, live music performances and traditional food. It was organized by the legal-aid nonprofit Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California.

Investigators haven't determined a motive for the massacre at Star Ballroom, which also left nine mostly elderly people wounded. The 72-year-old gunman later killed himself in a van he used to flee the Lai Lai Ballroom after being disarmed by Tsay.

The carnage, during what should have been joyful Lunar New Year celebrations, sent ripples of fear through Asian American communities in the neighborhoods east of Los Angeles.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.