I was writing a blog entry on the Top Ten Things to Savor in Macau, a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, former Portuguese colony, and gambling capital of Asia, when I realized that one of my recommendations merited its own post. My family and I had taken too many excellent photos of the show, The House of Dancing Water, a Vegas-style stage production, to limit this attraction to a mere bullet point on a list.

The show, now playing at the City of Dreams in Macau, is a wonderfully choreographed experience in an intimate aqua theater-in-the-round. The spectacular show features aerial acrobatics, provocative choreography, and elegant artistry. It is similar to the aquatic theatre show Le Rêve – The Dream at the Wynn Las Vegas and produced by Franco Dragone, who also produced Le Rêve and is known for his work with Cirque du Soleil.

The House of Dancing Water offers a uniquely Asian take on the aquatic theater concept. The U.S.$250 million production that took five years to develop and two years to rehearse is billed as the “world’s largest water-based show” according to the City of Dreams website. The one-of-a-kind production that combines theater, dance, gymnastic artistry, high-performance diving, and state-of-the-art displays of water imagery were truly awe inspiring.

The following is the synopsis of the story from the show’s website:

The Story begins on the coast of Coloane. A Fisherman traveling with his boat enjoys his journey. Suddenly, a mysterious energy from the water creates a terrible whirlpool, grabs the Fisherman, and pulls him to a place and a time of legend. He does not realize for a while what is happening at that moment. He observes, lost and intrigued, when a storm brings a survivor from a shipwreck, a Stranger to this magical kingdom. The young, brave Stranger encounters and falls in love with a beautiful Princess who was thrown into a cage by her evil stepmother, the Dark Queen. Without hesitating, the Fisherman decides to help the Stranger fight against to the Dark Queen and rescue the Princess. With his help, the Stranger and the Princess defeat the Dark Queen, and the Fisherman obtains an unexpected reward. It is a spectacular love story through time and space.

Below are photos from the performance we watched when we visited Macau in April 2012. The theater allowed flash-free photography.

Mysterious energy grabs the Fisherman and pulls him to a place and a time of legend.

A survivor from a shipwreck, a Stranger to this magical kingdom encounters and falls in love with a beautiful Princess.

The Princess was thrown into a cage by her evil stepmother, the Dark Queen.

The Fisherman decides to help the Stranger fight against to the Dark Queen and rescue the Princess.

An epic battle. Dueling motorcycles were an interesting addition to the show.

With the Fisherman’s help, the Stranger and the Princess defeat the Dark Queen, and the Fisherman obtains an unexpected reward.

Images projected onto the water. Amazing.

High diving from the theater ceiling.

The highest dive of all. This dive was from at least 25 meters high.

Final bows and curtain call.

One of the most flexible performers I’ve ever seen. The way he contorted his body was unbelievable.

Tickets to see The House of Dancing Water are not cheap, but it’s worth the price of admission. It is easily one of the top attractions at any of the casinos in Macau and highly recommended if you’re visiting the gambling capital of Asia.

The official trailer shows some of the spectacular scenes from the show.

 

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