World of Color - Dancing Water

Over a year ago- D23, the Disney Parks Blog, and various other sources started talking about the changes happening to California Adventure, and highlighting the World of Color water spectacular.

One of the talking points about this night-time show was the thousands of dancing lights and fountains that were going to be placed in the lagoon for this new show.  Which got me thinking about the possibilities of creating a true dancing fountain.


If I was an Imagineer...

I would attempt to create a dancing fountain with more human dancing characteristics, I know that this idea is highly speculative, but I think it could work!

To start: I think it would be helpful to use some sort of motion capture to create computer rendering of a dancers body spinning (as gracefully as possible, of course).

Next I would try and make a controllable and accurate water canon that could shoot small bursts of water to a controlled height in rapid succession, via a computer controller.


The dancing fountain would be made up of a vast number of these water canons, grouped closely together.  The grouping would be in a tight circle, with branches stemming out from the center.

Top view of water canon cluster

If you looked at a dancer, spinning from above, you could see how the performers body occupies a different space within this grouping of water jets, an extended leg or arm would reach out from the center cluster into one of the branches.

A top view of the water canon cluster, the canons represented in blue are shooting water, creating the illusion of a dancer spinning.

Each water jet/canon would shoot a precise burst of water, with each burst going to a specific height and place, that would mimic the dancers movement.  I think this combined with some sort of strobe lighting could recreate the illusion of movement, kind of like an animated character.

The center cluster of water canons would serve as the body and standing leg for the dancer, and therefore be on throughout the movement, while the outer canons would pulse on and off, with the movement pivoting around the center.

A rough look at the potential side view of a truly dancing fountain.

The water canons would create quick snapshot pictures of the dancer's body in motion, that when viewed rapidly in succession would seem to be truly a dancing fountain.

I do realize that there would be the ever present problem of falling water messing up the next "shot" but, what do you think?  Is it possible?  Anyone out there want to try it?