PARIS LAXMI
DANCER - ACTRESS
artistic director of Kalashakti
"I was born in France from an artist family. My father Yves Quinio is a drama artist and poet, and my mother Patricia Quinio is a sculptor. My younger brother Q.Narayan also became a musician; he learned drums for Classical European Orchestra, Jazz, but also Indian drums: the mridangam, from maestro Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam and tablas from Nabankur Bhattacharya.
Before my birth, India was already a part of my family as my parents were loving this country, its customs, people, philosophy, arts and heritage.
My father first came to India in 1982, then with my mother some years after; they also decided to name me Myriam Sophia Lakshmi, and my brother Theo Elie Narayan. I can say that both India and Dance were already a part of me when I born.
As a baby and then as a small child I was everyday dancing, and my mother was telling me the stories of hindu gods: Ganesh, Shiva Parvati, Krishna Radha, Rama Sita...and also christian stories: the child Jesus and his parents, the saint Bernadette of Lourdes...I was use to talk about all these gods and I was loving them all.
At the age of 3 I started to ask for dance classes...but no teacher was ready to teach such a small girl! I started contemporary dance classes for children at the age of 5 in Aix-en-Provence, my birth place. The same year my parents decided to bring my brother and me to India for the first time. We enjoyed so much to live in India that we came every year for the holidays during two months and then for longer periods like one full year.
I discovered the classical dances of India during these trips and got a real fascination for it.
At the age of 7 I watched my first Kathakali performance in Fort Kochi. With others, a very young artist was performing for us and as I was amazed by all of them, he is the one I remembered ever... but no one could imagine at that time he was going to become my husband many years after!
In France, I started to study Jazz and Classical Ballet dances but I also wanted to study an indian dance. My mother enquired and fortunately found a Bharata Natyam teacher in our town, the dancer and choreographer Armelle Choquard.
At the age of 9 I started Bharata Natyam with her, then with the dancer and choreographer Dominique Delorme; along with my trips to India, the strong support of my parents and with the help of gods, my life went on the way of Arts."
Paris Laxmi was born in Aix-en-Provence, France to Yves Quinio a drama artist and poet and Patricia Quinio, a sculptor. Her younger brother Theo – Q.Narayan, is a drummer in classical orchestra drums as well as Indian drums like Tabla and Mridangam. He trained under Mridangam Maestro Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam, who gave his sister her stage name: 'Paris Laxmi'.
Laxmi expressed her desire to dance even before she walked and never lost the passion for it. As her parents are in love with India and its Culture, she was merged into it from her birth and visited India with her family every year since the age of 5.
Due to their parents' attraction to India, Laxmi and her brother got a double culture education, between France and India.
In France, she started training in Bharatanatyam with Armelle Choquard (disciple of Sri V.S. Muthuswami Pillai and Smt. Sucheta Chapekar) from the age of 9 and later from Dominique Delorme (disciple of Sri V.S. Muthuswami Pillai and Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam). She also trained under Smt. Sucheta Chapekar in Pune and at Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam's Nrithyodaya School of Dance in Chennai.
Paris Laxmi has been trained in various dance styles: Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Flamenco and Hip-hop from the age of five; and Bharatanatyam from the age of nine.
Laxmi is an active and well-known dancer who has performed throughout India and abroad as a Bharatanatyam soloist and in collaboration with other artists.
On September 14, 2012 at Vaikom Mahadeva temple, she got married to Pallippuram Sunil, Kathakali dancer from Kerala. Together they created in 2012 the Kalashakthi School Of Arts and inaugurated a theatre cum class room, the Kalashakthi Mandapam in 2014 in Vaikom, Kerala where they both teach their respective dance forms and organise Art performances and workshops.
Sunil and Laxmi created the duet 'SANGAMAM' in 2012 and in 2015 their first creation 'Krishna Mayam', a classical dance fusion of Kathakali and Bharatanatyam showcasing stories and manifestations of Lord Krishna with compositions from the Kathakali and Bharatanatyam repertoires. 'SANGAMAM - Krishna Mayam' has toured all over India, Gulf countries and Europe since 2015 for various temples, theatres, associations and festivals like Soorya Festival.
Laxmi has also presented a Contemporary dance creation called 'Seasons on Earth' in 2016 at Kalashakti Mandapam in Vaikom and the Kerala Museum in Kochi; and a Flamenco dance creation in 2017 at Kalashakti Mandapam and Kala Ghoda Festival, Mumbai.
In 2018 Pallippuram Sunil in Kathakali, Abhayalakshmi in Odissa and Paris Laxmi in Bharatanatyam create a new product:
'RAHASYA - mysterious circle of life...' Triptych of Indian Classical Dances
RA... Rama is Paris Laxmi in Bharatanatyam
HA... Hanuman is Pallippuram Sunil in Kathakali
SYA... Sita is Abhayalakshmi in Odissi
RAHASYA WORLD TOUR started with the grand premiere on 20th January at JTPAC, Kochi, followed by Kala Academy festival in Goa and many more venues to be announced...
Paris Laxmi entered the Malayalam Film industry in 2007 with her dance performance for the song "Oh January" in the movie "Big B" directed by Amal Neerad, starring Mammootty, Manoj K.Jayan and Bala, and became known to every Malayalee especially with her role as Kuttettan's 'Michelle ' in Bangalore Days by Anjali Menon in which she was paired with Nivin Pauly.
She has then acted in films: Olappeeppi, Salt Mango Tree, Bangalore Naathkal, Nawal Enna Jewel, Tiyaan...
Yatho Hasta Thatho Drishti Yatho Drishti Thatho Manah
Yatho Manah Thatho Bhaava Yatho Bhaava Thatho Rasa