Saturday Morning Live! is back at The National Theatre! This season’s theme, Beyond Borders: What Brings Us Together?, is a celebration of diversity that will spark imagination with performances ranging from ballet, puppets, and dance to Funkadelic music and storytelling. You’ll understand why parents are calling The National Theatre Foundation’s longest-running program “a gift to the community!” The Virginia Ballet Company opened the 2024-25 season on Saturday, September 14, with selections from Don Quixote on the historic National Theatre mainstage. The program continues in the Helen Hayes Gallery on October 12 with “Shake Your Bones!”  In this playful and highly interactive presentation, musical duo Cantaré introduces preschool and Kindergarten audiences to songs, rhythms, and instruments from Latin America. On November 9, Saturday Morning Live! welcomes Dovie Thomason, an award-winning storyteller of Native and Scot Traveller descent, to the Helen Hayes Gallery. In “Grandma’s Stories from the Animal People,” Thomason shares a delightful intertribal sampling of the animal stories which often explain the “what” and “why” questions about the Earth and her animal children. Rounding out 2024 in the Helen Hayes Gallery will be the return of Jim Henson Foundation grantees Alex and Olmsted, who dazzled audiences last season with the hilarious “Milo the Magnificent.” In their new puppet show, “Happy Birthday, Mon Ami,” class, cultures, and expectations clash when Jacques’ American cousin Sam visits him in Paris for a birthday celebration. Visit the Saturday Morning Live! website to see the rest of the season and learn how to register via AllEvents. All performances take place at 9:30am and 11am and are free to the public. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation is provided. Follow The National Theatre Foundation (@nattheatredc) on Facebook and Instagram for more updates and program highlights.   * * *   This post is sponsored by The National Theatre Foundation, however, I only promote programs, events, and places that I genuinely believe in and think will appeal to KFDC readers.