A Russian circus family reopened Moscow’s famed cat theater. In a typical show, cats will skateboard around stage and may even be found balancing on spinning plates. Founded just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the theater, run by clown Yuri Kuklachev and his sons, Dmitry and Vladimir, recently reopened following major renovations.
“With cats, each show is an improvisation,” Yuri Kuklachev’s younger son, Vladimir, told . “Some cats enjoy the stage, they love it when we watch them attentively, while others do not like noise or lights and sit motionless,” he added.
Yuri, a legendary clown, began training cats to set himself apart from the clown competition and opened the theater in 1990. It is not the only animal theater in Moscow. The Durov animal theater features a performing raccoon, ravens, and mice who run on a miniature railway.