Dubai Fountain: The story behind its dancing waters

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Like a moth to a flame, visitors to Dubai invariably swarm around the colossal fountain at the foot of the Burj Khalifa. It’s easy to see why: at more than 900-feet long, firing water 50 stories into the sky, the fountain is impressive, to say the least.

And as a feat of engineering, even more so. It has become a focal point in the city, ushering in the New Year, marking holidays and welcoming celebrity guests like K-Pop supergroup EXO with individually choreographed displays. But what’s going on underneath the dancing waters?

Commissioned by EMAAR Properties, developers of Downtown Dubai, it was Los Angeles-based WET which was charged with making it a reality.

CNN's 10 must-visit places in Dubai -- and what to do there. Dubai Frame: Offering one of the city's best views, the Dubai Frame has welcomed one million visitors since it opened in January 2018, according to state media. Situated in Zabeel Park with views of skyscrapers lining the Sheikh Zayed Road, the gardens also host a number of events.

Dubai Frame: Look across and you'll see the Burj Khalifa, but look down and you might catch a glimpse of the Dubai Flea Market, which hosts second hand sales in Zabeel Park on the first weekend of the month.

Dubai Miracle Garden: Dubai Miracle Garden is certainly the most floral spot in the city between mid-November and mid-May, when the 72,000-meter square site is in bloom with 150 million flowers. Attractions include the world's largest flower arrangement, a sculpture in the shape of an Airbus A380 airplane.

Dubai Miracle Garden: Continuing the colorful theme, on the other side of the highway from the Miracle Garden is the Dubai Autodrome, home to 24 hour motor races, karting and, on one day every year, the Color Run. Dubbed the "happiest 5K on the planet," the global fun run series first came to Dubai in 2013 and takes place in November. Runners start off dressed in white and end covered in colored powder.

Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve: Covering 87 square miles, the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve is a place of quiet solitude away from the city, with rolling sand dunes and rare flora and fauna.

Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve: There's a number of ways to navigate the extreme terrain, but one of the funnest has to be on a retro sand safari in old school Land Rovers from the 1950s, a service operated by Platinum Heritage.

Madinat Jumeirah: Featuring luxury resorts including the Jumeirah Al Qasr, artificial waterways, souks and restaurants, Madinat Jumeirah is a destination with traditional aesthetics and fabulous views of the Burj Al Arab. There's also a two-kilometer private beach.

Madinat Jumeirah: Leave the private beach and head north past the public beach and you'll find Bu Qtair Restaurant. A low-key gem of a seafood shack dealing in the freshest fish, it has a large local following and was once visited by the late Anthony Bourdain.

Burj Khalifa: Still the tallest building in the world -- and by a significant margin -- the views from the top of the Burj Khalifa speak for themselves. At the heart of Downtown Dubai, there's no shortage of options nearby, from the Dubai Opera to The Dubai Mall.

Burj Khalifa: But why descend when you can stay in the sky? At.Mosphere on the 122nd floor is a restaurant with lofty ambitions, while further down Armani/Amal (pictured) serves up high-end Indian cuisine with views of the Dubai Fountain.

The World: The World archipelago (top right), viewed from the International Space Station, is one of the most impressive sights ever engineered in Dubai. For a more up close view you can charter an airplane tour to fly over the islands via Seawings.

The World: If you can afford it, you will soon be able to stay on The World. Developer Kleindienst is building a six-island mega resort called The Heart of Europe, including dozens of Floating Seahorse villas with underwater bedrooms and bathrooms.

Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood: The Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, (also known as Al Bastakiya) next to the water of Dubai Creek has preserved vernacular architecture dating back to the 19th century. Many of the buildings have open-sided towers which transport cool air down into the rooms below.

Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood: A short walk west from Al Fahidi is the Dubai Museum. Housed in the Al Fahidi Fort, it's the oldest existing building in Dubai and covers the emirate's history as a maritime trading post and its pearl-diving industry, with some artifacts dating back as far as 3000 BC.

Palm Jumeirah: Best viewed from the air, the artificial island is a stunning sight. For those feeling brave, Skydive Dubai has a dropzone right next to it. For a more sedate option, there's always a gyrocopter tour.

Palm Jumeirah: If all that sounds a bit much, you can make the trip to Dukes Dubai, located on the Palm. A hotel with private beach and first class service delivered with a British touch, there's also wonderful views back towards the mainland.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo: It takes a brave person to stare down a shark at dinner time -- and you can do exactly that at the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. The "Shark Encounter" experience allows you to enter the 10-million liter tank in a diving cage during a feeding frenzy. But if you'd rather stay dry, there's also the 48-meter long aquarium tunnel and glass bottom boats.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo: The aquarium is contained within Dubai Mall, which makes it the obvious choice when it comes to what to do nearby. The mall just celebrated its 10th anniversary and contains 1,200 shops and more luxury stores than you can possibly hope to visit in a single day. But if you're going to visit one place, make it the modern Gold Souk for your jewelry wants and needs.

Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary: For first-time visitors it's an unexpected site, but Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary really is in the middle of the city. The wetlands in the interior of Dubai Creek are the temporary home of thousands of migratory birds including flamingos. There's also gray herons, sandpipers and ospreys to be seen in this patch of rich biodiversity.

Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary: To the east of the sanctuary, Dubai Creek is under construction, and the new development is set to feature the 3,045ft Dubai Creek Tower and a $2 billion mega-mall. But in the meantime, Dubai Design District to the west hosts a number of events including Fashion Forward (pictured), a biannual four day style bonanza.

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WET Design has designed over 250 fountains in 20 countries, and its credentials include the Fountains of Bellagio and installations for Olympic Games and World Fairs.

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“We like to build things exciting and state of the art and fast and wet,” president of WET Mark Fuller told CNN. In Dubai, “we found a place to do that,” he says, describing it as a “special place for WET” born out of an “emotional and creative synergy.”

Fuller describes conceptualizing fountains on location, using sketches and models, both three-dimensional and computer generated. “Rarely do we come up with just one solution,” he says.

“After that of course it turns into hardcore engineering: Where do the pipes go? Where will the pumps and power (go)?” he adds. Then there are the more artistic questions: “What is the poetry we’ll be building? How will the waters perform? Will the water need an antagonist to play off? Perhaps we introduce fire.”

The fountain puts on a show each afternoon and every 30 minutes in the evening, with thousands of lights, dozens of projectors and at its most dramatic, over 22,000 gallons of water in the air at any one time.

Peter Kopik is director of choreography at WET and has the complex task of turning thousands of fountain hoses into a coherent show. Each show is carefully tailored to its audience.

Read: $5 billion mega-resort rises from The World

“We have to get familiar with that particular culture and how the people who are going to view the choreography relate to music, relate to dance,” he explains. “For instance, in Arabic culture the major principle is that the music is downbeat versus upbeat. So you are actually bending your knee at the beat, not jumping up as in Western culture.”

Robotic technology is used extensively, says Kopik, in facilities beneath the 30-acre Burj Lake.

“(People) are always surprised at the amount of technology we have hidden behind the scenes,” says Fuller. “Beneath those ripples and waves there’s very often millions and millions of dollars and kilojoules of energy … and then in the room beneath the room filled with all the water are cavernous control rooms.”

But when it comes to getting a reaction from his audience, Fuller is looking to create an entirely different kind of waterworks.

“What I look for – and when I know we have done it right – I look for that little drop of water in the eye of the spectator next to me,” Fuller says. “That’s my payoff.”

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of the K-Pop group that had their music played at Dubai Fountain.