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community BATON ROUGE BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS PHILADANCO! Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s 2021-22 season officially begins this month with two thrilling performances by Philadanco! Philadanco! is a Philadelphia-based company that has been instrumental in breaking barriers and building bridges across cultural divides in the dance world, and the dancers are set to take the stage on Sunday, October 17 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Manship Theatre at the Shaw Center for the Arts. The Philadanco! dancers are among the best in the world, providing a musical experience that is often described as “a brilliant mix of skill, energy, and artistry.” They’re committed to empowering youth with essential developmental and leadership skills that facilitate achievement and success in the world of dance and life. Tickets for the performances are $30-55. ■ manshiptheatre.org
BELLA BOWMAN FOUNDATION TEAMS UP WITH LSU
After their daughter, Bella, passed away from brain stem necrosis, the Bella Bowman Foundation was created by Trey and Kim Bowman to support families through the struggles of having a child diagnosed with brain cancer. The Foundation’s mission is to further pediatric cancer research, and so, the Foundation recently presented a $75,000 pledge to LSU’s research group to support the next phase of a research study that aims to understand rare but fatal side effects following cancer therapy. “Part of our donation will have an impact on LSU student researchers with funding needed to support their research and further their careers and passion to spearhead the fight against pediatric cancer,” says Trey Bowman. ■ bellabowman.org
SPACE RACERS TRAVEL ON INSPIRATION4
The world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit had some unique passengers–a handful of STEM toys. Space Race, LLC, the global production company that specializes in children’s programming and educational entertainment, sent a few toys on Inspiration4. The toys represent five characters from the company’s animated STEM series, Space Racers. The toys are being auctioned for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “It is an honor to take St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital along on this journey to space and support its current multi-billion dollar expansion plan to accelerate research advances and save more children worldwide,” said Commander Jared Isaacman before the launch. ■ stjude.org/inspiration4 14
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BATON ROUGE ZOO WELCOMES BABY GIRAFFE
Let the celebrations begin! BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo recently announced the birth of a female reticulated giraffe. The calf was born to an 8-year-old, second-time mother, Rosie, and a 15-year-old father, Rowan, and she appears to be progressing as expected. As a species, the reticulated giraffe is considered “Endangered” in the wild. “Our keeper, curator and veterinary staff are incredibly skilled and are monitoring the mother and calf closely. This expert care and supervision will hopefully lead to good outcomes. The progress of the calf over the coming few days and weeks will be crucial,” says Phil Frost, Zoo Director. The Zoo participates in conservation giving to help protect this species in the wild and the community can help, too, by visiting them online. ■ brzoo.org
