When Kathak dancer Seibi Lee was working in the United States on two dance dramas based on the Ramayana , she became increasingly intrigued with Sita’s story. Lee is the co-artistic director and principal soloist with the Chitresh Das Dance Company and senior instructor at Chhandam School of Kathak.
At that time, it was mandatory for all the artistes to read the epic before every performance to understand the characters and their trials and tribulations. “Each time I read the mythological story, I interpreted it differently,” recalls the dancer who resides in California and is of part Japanese, part Chinese ethnicity. “I felt as if I was unveiling one more layer of every character’s persona. The story is so deep and deals with various themes. Though it’s a mythology set in a different era, it’s a universal story that resonates even today and helps you reflect on your life.”
Donning seven roles
The dancer now brings her fascination and passion to the city with Safar - The Journey . The highlight of her performance though, is a solo piece titled Sita Haran that chronicles the kidnapping of Sita. In Safar, Lee takes on seven characters: Lord Ram, his wife Sita, his brother Laxman, Lord Hanuman, Raavan and the golden deer. Predictably excited, Lee’s performance will also feature Debashish Sarkar on vocals, Jayanta Banerjee on the sitar and Satyprakash on tabla. And she will open the act with a Ganpati vandana .
A student of Western classical music at the University of Toronto in Canada, Lee’s passion for Kathak resulted from happenstance. “Once, I saw the performance of one of Pandit Chitresh Das’s students at the university,” she says. “I was enchanted by Kathak and decided to attend an intensive course after a few months. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.”
Soon, Lee knew that dance was her true calling and moved to Vancouver to follow her original career path: of being a harpist. “I wasn’t able to dance for some time as I didn’t have a teacher there,” she says. “I felt there was a huge void in my life and decided to shift to California to learn the dance form intensively.”
With Kathak, Lee has managed to blend her diverse life experiences to wonderful results on stage. “My master’s degree specialising in harp performance and experience as a professional musician, my degree in the sciences, and my love for the dance have given me a unique passion for the four core aspects of Kathak,” she says, referring to tayari (technique), laykari (the ability to play with rhythm), khoobsurti (grace in movement) and nazakat (subtlety of gesture). Additionally, it has helped her understand better the history, philosophy and sophisticated mathematics that pervade this dance form. “Although it developed in India, there is an inherent universality to the art form of Kathak that speaks across generations and cultures,” says Lee.
Ode to Hanuman
As for her love for the Ramayana, Lee will pay an ode to it in her own way though her next production, Son of the Winds , which is based on Hanuman. “He is usually perceived as a beloved character who is lauded for his unconditional love and devotion for Rama,” she shares. “But we will portray him as a warrior and a hero who played a pivotal role in the ancient Indian epic.”
Safar-The Journey will be held on February 23 at 7 p.m. at the NCPA. Tickets are priced at ₹500.
