Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
06/07/2018

Dancing Water Theatre Takes On Bolero

News Image
The House of Dancing Water is a breathtaking in-the-round water show created by the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group for Macau's City of Dreams entertainment complex. Designed by Pei Partnership Architects, the architectural firm behind the iconic glass and metal Louvre Pyramid in Paris, the state-of-the-art Dancing Water Theatre created for The House of Dancing Water features a 40-meter-high steel-trussed space that provides the generous heights required for the show's diving and acrobatics elements. The theater's stage pool holds a record-breaking 3.7 million gallons of water, equivalent to five Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The show itself centers on an epic love story and journey through time, showcasing mesmerizing special effects; dazzling costumes; and breathtaking acrobatics, artistic, and aerial performances. The performance relies on 20 divers working in the pool during the show, 342 lift-shifted panels that allow the stage to go from pool to dry stage in less than a minute, and five automation consoles that give performers 100 different ways to fly through the theater space.

Producing a show as complex and spectacular as The House of Dancing Water is not possible without reliable, stable, and flexible communications between and among cast and crew members. For this reason, the show has extended its in-house communications capabilities with a new wireless intercom system. Citing the quality and flexibility of Riedel's Artist digital matrix intercom system, which has been in operation at the theater since 2009, the team from Dragone Macau Limited opted to invest in Riedel Communications' Bolero for its wireless comms upgrade. Bolero provides comprehensive, reliable, and fully integrated wireless capabilities that leverage the facility’s existing Artist system.

An expandable, DECT-based, wireless intercom system in the license-free 1.9GHz frequency range, Bolero operates seamlessly within the Artist platform. Decentralized antennas connect Bolero to AES67 IP network switches and then to Artist frames equipped with AES67 client cards, providing a fully integrated point-to-point intercom ecosystem with seamless handover capabilities. To the system, the beltpacks look just like Riedel panels but are wireless, providing the highest levels of flexibility and programmability.

Programming flexibility is extremely important for the production, and Bolero will enable the team to customize the system to meet the needs of individuals and departments. Riedel’s Director software enables intuitive management and configuration of the system while also facilitating real-time system monitoring by the sound department.

Bolero itself offers the theater's production crew and performers a rich set of features and connectivity that can be applied as a wireless beltpack, as a wireless keypanel, and as a walkie-talkie radio. The system’s high-clarity voice codec provides the high speech intelligibility, and its more efficient use of RF spectrum supports twice the number of beltpacks per antenna for the same audio bandwidth as other DECT-based systems.

Motocross stunt riders and acrobatic performers, coupled with the technical teams, use the newly extended intercom system for continual communication during the show. The Bolero/Artist combination plays a vital role even in the aquatics area, supporting communications with performers and underwater-performer handlers in the pool via underwater speakers, in-mask communications systems, and buddy phones.

The ecent deployment of the extended Riedel-based communications infrastructure is the result of a collaborative effort between Dragone Macau Limited Head of Sound Nicolas Hammond and Assistant Head of Sound David Sharrock, with the support of The House of Dancing Water sound team. The new Bolero system went live in June, complementing existing Riedel infrastructure, including two Artist 64 frames and two Artist 32 frames.


This article is also available in the July edition of Broadcast Film & Video. Available here.
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

08/06/2018
Creative Technology Adds Riedel's Bolero To Rental Stock
Creative Technology Asia Pacific (CT APAC) has added Riedel Communications' Bolero wireless intercom system to its rental stock. CT APAC tested and id
07/06/2018
Singapore's Star PAC Takes the Lead With Riedel's Bolero Wireless Intercom
A reliable communications system with crystal-clear audio is a must for a large-scale facility such as The Star Performing Arts Centre (Star PAC), whi
15/05/2018
Singapore Performing Arts Centre Deploys Riedel's Bolero System
The Star Performing Arts Centre (Star PAC) in Singapore has expanded its intercom capabilities with Riedel's Bolero integrated wireless intercom. Bole
19/03/2020
Teatro Diana Selects Riedel's Bolero Stand-Alone Wireless Intercom
Riedel Communications has announced that Teatro Diana, a 2,400-seat theater in Guadalajara, Mexico, has chosen the occasion of its 15th anniversary to
09/01/2018
Riedel's Bolero Selected By Hong Kong Jockey Club
Riedel Communications has announced that its Bolero wireless intercom system has been selected by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), Hong Kong's premie
11/10/2018
Riedel's Bolero Wireless Intercom Brings The Excitement Of Auto Racing Home To BBC Radio Listeners
As the world's most famous open-wheel racing series heads down its home stretch, fans around the world are enjoying the non-stop action. And while the
27/03/2024
Backlight To Display Innovative Solutions At NAB Show 2024
Backlight is to return to the Las Vegas Convention Center in April to showcase its innovative and award-winning solutions at this year's NAB Show. Sin
22/03/2024
Matrox® Video To Provide Product Demos At NAB Show 2024
Matrox® Video will exhibit in Booth SL5073 at the 2024 NAB Show, April 13-17 in Las Vegas, providing product demos and featuring customer stories that
15/03/2024
JVC Professional Video To Feature Special Guests At NAB Show 2024
JVC Professional Video will feature special guests, including NDI Technical Director Roberto Musso and vMix Senior Systems Engineer Heath Barker, at t
28/07/2017
Hillsong Conference Sydney's 'Loud And Clear'
Riedel Communications' all-new Bolero wireless intercom system and MediorNet real-time network played a key role in crew communications for the Hillso
01/11/2018
LMG Adds Riedel's Artist 64 Digital Matrix Intercom Frame
The Show Technology division of LMG has added a Riedel Communications' Artist 64 digital matrix intercom frame and Bolero DECT-based wireless intercom
07/03/2018
Zoellner Arts Center Adopts Riedel's New Bolero Wireless Intercom
As the home of Lehigh University's music and theater departments, the Zoellner Arts Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a showcase facility for the a
08/06/2022
Comédie-Française Deploys Riedel's Bolero Wireless Intercom System
Riedel Communications has announced that the Comédie-Française has deployed Riedel's Bolero wireless intercom system in a stand-alone configuration at
17/02/2022
Krickhahn TV Deploys Riedel's Bolero Wireless Intercom System
Deploying Riedel's Bolero wireless intercom system on its broadcast-camera motorcycles, Danish RF video specialist Krickhahn TV ensures seamless commu
20/01/2022
Liverpool Philharmonic Deploys Riedel's Bolero Wireless Intercom System
Riedel Communications has announced that Liverpool Philharmonic has deployed the company's Bolero wireless intercom system in a standalone configurati