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Life on the Move: Community Connections Before the Show

February 2, 2026

Life on the Move

February 16, 2026
Des Moines Civic Center

Life on the Move

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Life on the Move isn’t just about the journeys animals make across the planet — it’s also about movement, resilience and connection here at home. Before the presentation begins, audiences are invited to arrive a little early to engage with community partners whose work closely reflects the themes explored onstage.

Before the show, stop by Nollen Lobby (near the Ticket Office) to meet local organizations and learn more about the vital work they’re doing in our community.

Community Partner Spotlights

The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), established in 1911, is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit international organization dedicated to addressing the needs and rights of refugees and immigrants. USCRI, working with nearly 200 affiliates, provides legal, social, and health services to refugees, unaccompanied migrating children, trafficking survivors, and other immigrants in all 50 states, El Salvador, Honduras, Kenya, and Mexico. USCRI advocates for the rights of refugees and immigrants both nationally and globally, helping to drive humanitarian policies, practices, and law.

Blank Park Zoo
Celebrating its 60th anniversary, Blank Park Zoo’s mission centers on inspiring appreciation of the natural world through conservation, education, research and recreation. Visit their table to learn what’s new at the zoo and how local conservation efforts connect to the global animal journeys explored in the program.

About Life on the Move

Those conversations set the stage for what unfolds in Life on the Move, as National Geographic Explorer Lucy Hawkes takes audiences across continents and oceans in pursuit of one of nature’s most astonishing phenomena: migration.

Hawkes is a physiological ecologist who uses state-of-the-art tracking technology to follow animals as they travel thousands of miles in search of food, water and survival. Her work introduces audiences to remarkable animal athletes, from deep-diving basking sharks to high-flying bar-headed geese, and reveals the hidden science behind their epic journeys.

Through vivid storytelling, cutting-edge research, and breathtaking visuals, Life on the Move invites audiences to see migration not just as movement but as perseverance, connecting the natural world, scientific discovery and the human stories that mirror these journeys.

The presentation comes to the Des Moines Civic Center this February, offering an evening that begins with community connection and ends with a powerful, globe-spanning exploration of life in motion.

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