Lai Lai Ballroom hosts dance celebration in honor of AAPI Heritage Month and to help community heal

ALHAMBRA, Calif. (KABC) -- A big celebration in Alhambra on Saturday at the Lai Lai Ballroom, where heroes like Brandon Tsay fought off the gunman who killed 11 people during the Lunar New Year mass shooting earlier this year.

The event was also held as part of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

The dance celebration is a testament to those working to heal after the mass shooting on the Lunar New Year.

Local hero Brandon Tsay, who fought off the Lunar New Year gunman when the shooter entered his family's ballroom after just killing 11 people at a neighboring studio, was one of the organizers behind the special event aimed at helping the local community heal after a tragedy that still looms large in Monterey Park and Alhambra.

Tsay's family has owned the Lai Lai Ballroom for many years, which has now become a community landmark after the mass shooting.

The ballroom partnered with Asian Americans Advancing Justice to organize the event on Saturday.

Tsay is welcoming the community to come and celebrate the AAPI community.

"The message I want to leave people is that, to stand strong, you must really have a foothold on the current present moment for yourself and the people around you," Tsay said. "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."

The event will include appearance from many special guests including dancers from "Dancing With the Stars," and many other surprise performers.