Dancing Waters was Las Vegas's pioneering fountain show, debuting at the Royal Nevada Hotel in 1955, long before the famous Bellagio fountains. Unlike its modern successor, Dancing Waters was a paid showroom attraction that other acts would open for.

German engineer Otto Przystawik and impresario Hans Hasslach created this revolutionary water spectacle. The system cost $250,000 ($5.8 million today) and featured five fountains controlled by a complex console with 400 switches connected to 10,000 feet of wiring.

The show used 19 50-horsepower engines to control 4,000 jet streams, shooting five tons of water up to 50 feet high. Before arriving in Las Vegas, Dancing Waters had successful runs at the West German Industrial Exposition in 1952 and Radio City Music Hall in 1953.

While the Royal Nevada Hotel marketed itself as "the Home of the Dancing Waters," it was one of 10-12 similar systems operating across the US. The hotel struggled financially and closed permanently three years after opening, with the property later becoming the Stardust Auditorium.

After leaving Las Vegas, Dancing Waters toured various venues including the 1964 New York World's Fair, Universal Studios, Sea World, and Hershey Park. Liberace incorporated the show in his 1978-79 Las Vegas Hilton residency. One system found a permanent home at the Disneyland Hotel in 1970, later replaced by "Waltzing Waters" in 1992, also designed by Przystawik. Today, Otto's grandson Michael continues the family legacy with a fountain show called Liquid Fireworks.

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