A cultured life is a happy life

For those who get tired of hearing me talk about my adventures with my daughter like it's the only thing I ever do, well it is. Actually, believe it or not, I do have somewhat of a life outside of parenting and writing. With my birthday and Valentine's Day coming up, I'm hoping next time I write this column it'll pertain to a wild concert or a romantic dinner.

But in no way should that statement downplay the Saturday evening I recently spent with my daughter at the Eisemann Center in Richardson. We saw "Coppelia," a comical and beautifully crafted romantic ballet about a love triangle between a boy, a girl and a doll.

It was my first time seeing a production by Chamberlain Performing Arts and, after being blown away by the talents of the company and hearing the hearty applauses throughout all three acts (my hands hurt!), I know it won't be my last.

Restaged by Phillip Broomhead, formerly of the Houston Ballet, the production featured an elderly, eccentric, Gepetto-like inventor named Dr. Coppelius, played by Chamberlain's own Valentine Liberatore. In the ballet, the lead character, Swanhilda (who is Liberatore's wife, Mischic, who gave an absolutely exquisite performance) plays a trick on Coppelius (who is a bit senile and, as my daughter said, needed to do some stretches).

Swanhilda is mad because her fiancé, Franz, has the hots for Coppelius' doll. But Franz doesn't know it's a doll until after Swanhilda sneaks into Coppelius' cottage and discovers it for herself. When Franz ends up in the house searching for the doll, he is caught and drugged by Coppelius, who then finds he has brought the doll to life! However, it's really Swanhilda dressed up like the doll and acting like the doll in order to save her lover and escape.

And she also does it to prove a point - you're in love with a doll, you dolt!

Confused yet? Well, imagine having to explain all of this to a 7-year-old. Nonetheless, we both enjoyed learning the interpretations and being immersed in such lively dances from the company's 62 dancers. Having seen productions of "A Christmas Carol" in McKinney and Junie B. Jones at the Dallas Children's Theater this past Christmas, we were excited to put another venue and production company on our list of annual go-tos.

To continue in these traditions, fellow lovers of Chamberlain - which has been sharing the art of dance in North Texas for almost three decades - can spend an evening benefiting the organization at its Signature 2013 benefit on March 1 at Park Place Jaguar Plano. For a $100 ticket, guests can indulge in Latin-inspired tapas, cocktails, dinner, and live and silent auctions with musical entertainment provided by Dallas' Emerald City's Limelight Band.

While I'm sure this promises a night of good times, on a serious note, it's events like these that keep the cultural scene thriving in North Texas. And I don't think I'm the only one who knows the importance of that, especially when it comes to our children.

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