Dancing Musical Fountains

21 Mar 2019

Dancing fountains, also known as dynamic fountains, are a very specific type of ornamental fountains that provide different performances. They are wider than standard ornamental fountains and their technology is more complex too - they are designed and conceived to create striking shows full of movement. These musical fountains are usually visited on purpose in order to watch their great water and light features (and music, in the majority of the cases). They are perfect to be enjoyed in outdoor spaces.

Big water expenses

Their big size and the mentioned spectacular quality are the reasons why dancing fountains require ample sceneries adapted to their characteristics. So they are usually located in big ponds and lakes, both natural and artificial. The beautiful landscapes that provide these places, together with the dynamic combination of elements offered by dancing fountains, create a beautiful aesthetic that provides great enjoyment options, both public and private.

The open places where dancing fountains are usually installed make it possible to include any type of water jets in their design, even the highest and thickest ones. When talking about dancing fountains, we must highlight quite an interesting alternative: dancing-floating fountains. These fountains (commonly musical fountains) are not anchored to the bottom or the edge of the ponds.

Control systems

In dancing fountains, the control of the water features and special effects is quite more complex than in other typologies. Each water jet and submergible light requires individual control. On the other hand, this characteristic makes it possible to create ambitious and interesting combinations. The control systems include one submergible fast-acting electrovalve for each water jet; these elements let the operator choose when to activate or deactivate each unit. Of course, this means that dancing fountains provide more aesthetic and playful options than standard ornamental fountains. The whole system is controlled by a DMX protocol, thanks to which it is possible to assign a channel to each element: electrovalves (water jets), lights, pumps… This software is really complex and is integrated into the fountain’s own electrical box.

Light and color

Light is a very relevant feature in dancing fountains. As they are conceived as shows, these fountains usually reach their maximum glory during the night, when it is possible to play with lighting and combinations of colors. In this respect, the lighting used in dancing fountains is RGB in the 99 percent of the occasions, though white light can also be included. Just like the rest of the features, color, intensity and water jets are also controlled by DMX technology.

High power

We must indicate that in order to get their best performance, dancing fountains have high pumping (as they move huge water flows) and lighting power needs. Among other reasons, this is because these fountains’ water jets must be quite high and not very slim to be clearly seen from long distances. If the pumping power should be high, so should be the lighting power – although currently, most lamps work with LED technology, when a fountain includes a great number of lights its power needs increase exponentially.

They are real shows of light, water, color and sound – the most innovative technology and a handful of creativity join to display the impressive beauty of dancing fountains.

Keywords: musical fountain

Originally published 21 Mar 2019, updated 21 Mar 2019.