Born in California, Sahomi Tachibana (1924-2024) began studying traditional Japanese dance at age seven and spent several years with her grandparents in Fukushima, Japan, where she continued her studies under Saho Tachibana. She returned to California just before World War II and was confined to an internment camp for the next four years, where she began teaching. After the war, she moved to New York City and studied modern dance and ballet, making her professional debut there in 1948. Tachibana made her Pillow debut in 1953 and she appeared during five more seasons over the next two decades. For her final Pillow performances in 1971, she appeared alongside her teacher, Saho Tachibana, who made her U.S. debut at the Pillow. Sahomi Tachibana continued performing until 2005 and taught until she was 95.
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