Dancing Waters debuted as the Strip's first fountain show at the Royal Nevada Hotel in 1955, predating the famous Bellagio fountains by decades. Unlike its modern successor, Dancing Waters was an actual showroom headliner that performers opened for in the Crown Room theater.

The innovative water show was created by German engineer Otto Przystawik and impresario Hans Hasslach. Without modern computers, Hasslach manually controlled five fountains through a complex console featuring 400 switches connected to 10,000 feet of wiring. The $250,000 plumbing system (equivalent to $5.8 million today) used 19 50-horsepower engines to make 4,000 jet streams dance up to 50 feet high.

Dancing Waters first appeared at the 1952 West German Industrial Exposition before a successful 1953 run at Radio City Music Hall that drew 1.5 million visitors. The Royal Nevada was one of 10-12 similar systems operating across the US at the time.

Despite being dubbed "the Home of the Dancing Waters," the Royal Nevada struggled financially. It opened alongside the Riviera and Dunes but closed permanently after just three years. The property later became the Stardust Auditorium before its 2006 demolition. Resorts World now occupies the site.

The fountain shows later appeared at various venues including the 1964 New York World's Fair, Universal Studios, Sea World, and Hershey Park. Liberace incorporated one into his 1978-79 Las Vegas Hilton residency.

A permanent installation found its home at the Disneyland Hotel in 1970, later replaced by "Waltzing Waters" in 1992 - another Przystawik creation. Today, Otto's grandson Michael continues the family legacy with a fountain show called Liquid Fireworks.

Related Articles

Previous Articles