Lee was born in New York City's
Chinatown, to an Indian mother and Chinese father. She started dancing at an early age, and she made her
Broadway debut at the age of five as Princess Ying Yawolak in the original production of
The King and I in 1951. In a 2004 interview, she stated that
Yul Brynner, the original king, was like a second father to her. After she outgrew her role in
The King and I, she continued to study in ballet, modern, and afro-Cuban dance. She appeared in
George Balanchine's original production of
The Nutcracker, where she met ballerina
Maria Tallchief, whom she idolized. While attending the
High School for Performing Arts, she met fellow student
Michael Bennett. Around the same time, she appeared in
Flower Drum Song. Although Lee aspired to become a professional ballerina, she was rejected from companies because of her height; she is tall. Though she was offered a scholarship to
Juilliard, Lee instead pursued her career in theatre. Her Broadway appearances included
Mr. President,
Golden Boy, and ''
Here's Love''. Her next three shows were all choreographed by Bennett:
A Joyful Noise,
Henry, Sweet Henry, and
Promises, Promises. In the last, she performed the dance number "
Turkey Lurkey Time" (with
Donna McKechnie and
Margo Sappington). Lee was the dance captain for
Promises, Promises and recreated the choreography for subsequent touring productions, starting her future path as a choreographer. In 1973, she travelled to Israel to film
Norman Jewison's version of
Jesus Christ Superstar. ==
A Chorus Line and Michael Bennett==