Michiko Terajima was born on February 18, 1923, in Phoenix, Ariz., and passed away on June 6, 2024, in her residence in Mission Viejo, Calif.
Predeceased by parents, Torahei and Shizu (Yamashita) Iseri; siblings, Shig, Harry, George, Toshiko Mori, Yoshiko Honda and Tayeko Polk; 1 nephew and 3 nieces. She is survived by an extended family spread across the U.S.
She began public school, Japanese school and training in classical Japanese dance at an early age while living in Gardena. She eventually began teaching classes in Japanese dance. She also expanded her dance repertoire by learning other ethnic Asian dance forms.
When Executive Order 9066 was issued, the family was first moved to Pomona Assembly Center, then on to Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Wyoming. She was asked to begin teaching Japanese dance in camp and was part of a group that was instrumental in putting together a dance group that performed dance and kabuki shows.
She received a sponsorship from Teiko Ono’s dance group that allowed her to leave Heart Mountain, and after years of performing and teaching Asian ethnic dance classes in New York, she was approached by Jerome Robbins about working on a soon to be released Broadway show. Seems that many of the better dancers that auditioned were taught by Michiko. The show turned out to be “The King and I.” The number “Getting to Know You” was written for her by Richard Rodgers. After Broadway she toured the world with the show, then came to Hollywood to work on the film. Michiko was one of the first Japanese Americans to be credited for her work on Broadway and in the film. For many years she worked as administrator/senior consultant of the Margie Coate Sick & Relief Fund for the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA).
Services will be held at Koyasan Buddhist Temple for family and friends on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, 11 a.m. In lieu of koden, donations can be made in her name to: Entertainment Community Fund, http://entertainmentcommunity.org.