Macau’s House of Dancing Water returns with 3.7 million gallons of spectacle
The aquatic spectacular, boasting a cast of 300, has returned to Macau’s City of Dreams after a five-year break
The story will be familiar to those who have visited previously: a brave stranger embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Aani, who is being held captive by the Dark Queen, with water serving as a recurring motif throughout the 80-minute run time. To balance the show’s dramatic intensity, a new character, the Sailor, injects moments of comic relief.
The purpose-built Dancing Water Theatre features a pool holding 3.7 million gallons of water, more than five times the volume of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The venue has been refurbished to improve sightlines, accessibility and seating comfort, while technological enhancements allow for a more immersive experience, including a stage capable of transforming from a dry platform to a vast aquatic arena in under a minute.
One of the show’s most arresting moments is the revamped Golden Boat sequence. This set piece has been re-engineered with a state-of-the-art water-hydraulic system allowing the massive ship to glide across the water, in a spectacle that feels both grand and intimate. Complementing this is the Human Chandelier 2.0, an act in which acrobats perform gravity-defying manoeuvres on flying chandeliers, pushing the boundaries of physical artistry and technical precision.