The Dance of Falling Leaves is a sweet, interactive autumn adventure for little kids, created by performers from Russia’s First Theatre. It’s 45 minutes of gentle role-playing, leaf-blowing, tiny animal puppets, and simple sensory games designed for children ages 2–6. Families can expect a soft, cozy experience where kids join the performers to explore wind, rain, forest animals, and all the colors of autumn.

01 — Becoming “Children of the Wind”

Children are invited to imitate the autumn wind and gently blow the “fallen leaves” scattered on stage. This moment turns them from viewers into participants, helping them feel the movement of the wind and the playful rhythm of swaying leaves. It sparks imagination and brings them into nature through active engagement.

02 — Multi-Sensory Autumn Experience

The show combines touch, sight, and sound to create a vivid autumn environment. Children handle props, observe a stage transformed into an autumn forest, and listen to lively music. Scenes of little hedgehogs playing in piles of leaves, squirrels jumping between branches, birds flying south, and swirling leaves help children absorb the quiet beauty of the season through large screens and stage elements.

03 — The Sausage Dog and the Forest Animals’ Autumn Party

Characters such as a sausage dog, hedgehog, and squirrel appear one after another, using friendly, anthropomorphic interactions to guide children into the story. Each puppet and animal character has its own personality: the hedgehog plays games with leaves on its back, while the squirrel hangs mushrooms as “food storage for winter.” These characters act as both storytellers and companions, helping children build emotional connections through humor and expressive movement.

04 — Autumn “Game Class”: Learning Through Play

The performance incorporates simple nature knowledge into the games—birds migrating south, mushroom picking and classification, and how animals prepare for winter. Children learn naturally as they play, discovering why birds migrate, how to differentiate edible from non-edible mushrooms, and how hedgehogs get ready for the cold season. The visual and gamified approach makes seasonal knowledge easy to absorb and encourages curiosity about the natural world.

05 — Gifts from Russia’s First Theatre

After the show, every child receives a plush hedgehog and bird as keepsakes from the First Theatre. These small souvenirs extend the warmth of the performance and leave families with a lasting autumn memory.