Jeux d'eau

Pools and fountains had been a feature from Roman times, but hydraulic engineers first took full advantage of characteristic sloping sites of villas in the hills surrounding Lazio, where there was copious available water.

French 16th-century gardens in the Ile-de-France were generally in flat terrain that did not lend itself to elaborate jeux d'eau.

Harold Steinman, the New York-based promoter of "Holiday on Ice", spotted the Przystawik display in a Berlin nightclub.

In the later 20th century, programmable "dancing waters" became a feature of novelty fountains associated with resort hotels, where they were combined with laser light shows.

Such features draw crowds in Las Vegas, where they were initiated as part of Liberace's stage show and have been satirized in a Simpsons episode.