‘Violence can’t stop dance’: how dance halls became a refuge to the Asian community

Middle-aged and elderly immigrants come to the studios for exercise, socializing and to meet new friends

For Chris Cho, Star Ballroom dance studio in Monterey Park was more than a place where he learned the foxtrot, cha cha and waltz – it was also a second home.

As a kid in the early 2000s, he went to the studio after school everyday, at first to watch his older siblings compete and carry their shoes around, later to learn from renowned dancers from Europe. At 18, he became an instructor, teaching mostly Chinese students who were the same age as his parents and grandparents.