Giving a French flavour to bharathanatyam, Paris Lakshmi, the classical dance exponent from France, stands almost synonymous to this traditional dance form of South India. The artiste had struck the headlines some time back for her marriage to Kathakali artiste Pallippuram Sunil from Vaikom. Recently, on visit to the city for a dance programme, Paris Lakshmi spoke about her transformation from a contemporary French danseuse artiste and her life in Kerala.
"Born and brought up in a country known for ballet, it was the deep passion for dance that drew me to Indian classical categories, especially bharathanatyam. The frequent trips to India with my family during childhood further moulded the liking for Indian culture and arts,'' says Lakshmi, who further adds that even her parents were true lovers of the country and that was why they named their daughter Lakshmi and son, Narayan.
Thiruvarur Bakthavathsalam, Mridangam teacher of Lakshmi's brother, later baptised her as Paris Lakshmi. Having expressed her desire to get training in dance, her parents arranged two tutors back in their hometown. ''Armelle Choquard and Dominique Delorme were my first teachers. I started lessons at the age of nine and also made it a point to study contemporary jazz, classical ballet and even some bits of flamenco and hip-hop.'' But as Lakshmi puts it, her love for pure Indian classicals drew her to India for further tutelages in the dance school of Padma Subramaniam in Chennai. Later she also received heavy tutorings under renowned dance exponent Dr Sucheta Chapekar in Pune.
Today, the dance form bharathanatyam is the closest to Lakshmi's heart. She is a regular performer in almost all the major temple festivals in the state. ''I would love to learn all the different varieties of dance in the world, but none of them will catch my heart as mush as bharathanatyam. The blend of abhinaya, bhavas and mudras simply makes this dance form a rich art variety. Moreover, the challenges are also recurring. With every passing performance, there's a lot to be rectified, practised and refreshed. Besides, when the performer turns choreographer, the job multiplies,'' she adds.
It was during a childhood visit to Kerala that Lakshmi came across a marvellous kathakali performance by a renowned artiste, Pallippuram Sunil. ''I was just seven years old then and I remember the performance was in Cochin. It was the first time I witnessed such a rich art display. The costumes and the rich coloured powder make-ups and those striking movements and bhavas simply caught my attention. To be more precise, it was after watching this performance, I decided learn Indian art forms. Who guessed I would be the better half of this very same kathakali artiste in the future, but that is destiny,'' she smiles. The duo's relationship blossomed when Lakshmi approached Sunil to master kathakali in 2007. The couple tied the knot last year. Sunil-Lakshmi is currently settled in Vaikom and they run the Kalashakti School of Arts also. ''We live a simple life in Vaikom where we spend our day practising our art forms and performing for various events. We also teach a few students in our institution.'' And do you have a bigger ambition? ''I would love to act in movies and I am looking forward for some real good opportunities. Let's hope something really good happens,'' she winds up.