From Macau to Dubai: how OLC is delivering mega-spectacles on a global scale

Our Legacy Creations (OLC) has recently delivered two major live entertainment productions: the rebuild of The House of Dancing Water in Macau and Dubai's 2026 New Year's Eve celebration. The company was established in 2023 by five entertainment industry veterans and has positioned itself in the global live entertainment market through productions combining storytelling, technical innovation, and immersive staging.

Telling Dubai's story in a new way

For the 2026 celebration, EMAAR Properties' Corporate Brand Growth division, led by chairman Mohamed Alabbar, created one of the most ambitious urban mega-celebrations. OLC was selected to lead creative execution and production, tasked with telling Dubai's past, present, and future on an unprecedented scale.

François Girard, managing director of OLC, explains: “EMAAR was looking to do something different…the formula was way more ambitious for 2026. We're talking about turning the lake into the largest water stage on the planet, while simultaneously creating a world-class parade on the Dubai Boulevard.”

The creative narrative was developed by artistic director Tiziana Pagliarulo, featuring a poetic visual thread of a solitary tightrope walker carrying the moon, suspended between sky and water. “We developed a show that began with Dubai as a small village in the desert, then traced its evolution into the international city it is today. But I wanted to add a poetic character to witness this evolution,” Pagliarulo describes.

The world's largest water stage

The Dubai Mall lake was transformed into what was described as the world's largest water performance stage. The production combined 30-metre water screens, special effects, pyrotechnic drones, thousands of lights and lasers, and moving water platforms carrying live performers.

“This changed the approach completely,” Pagliarulo notes. “The stage was created by platforms that move on water, powered by drones that operate on water. So, we can create choreography using those platforms to bring the dancers onto the water.”

Moving dune structures were built onto floating platforms to reflect Dubai's origins, creating a constantly shifting desert landscape. The technical complexity extended to operational challenges in the dense urban environment.

“It was also very challenging for the dancers, because they had to be stable on a moving stage,” Pagliarulo adds.

The scope expands

The show included a 300-metre tightrope, a pyrotechnic drone display, real-time control of more than 5,000 lighting fixtures, and custom lighting on the Burj Khalifa itself. All systems operated live under strict public safety and broadcast requirements. Rehearsals were restricted to overnight windows between 1:00 am and 6:00 am.

The production expanded with a 300-metre live parade featuring more than 250 performers and three large-scale kinetic floats themed around the desert, oasis, and modern city. Rather than static vehicles, the floats incorporated BMX riders, parkour athletes, puppetry, and live performance.

“We wanted to keep the idea of the show, going from the desert to the oasis to the city, and bringing the culture throughout as a reminder of where they come from,” Pagliarulo states regarding the parade's design.

Girard praised “the courage that EMAAR chairman Mohamed Alabbar has to bring something new to his city. Giving back like this, and on this scale, requires some serious ambition and vision.”

Bringing back a much-loved show

OLC also oversaw the remount of The House of Dancing Water at City of Dreams Macau, one of the world's most technically complex resident productions. Unlike a one-night celebration, the resident spectacular required rebuilding systems for long-term sustainability and repeatability.

Anna Robb, executive producer at OLC, was part of the original 2010 creation team. She notes: “We knew the key people with knowledge of version one to bring back for the remount and what kind of skills we needed in the building.”

The remount included major upgrades to projection, lighting, and stage systems. “Fifteen years on, even just upgrading these elements was going to give a brightness and a vibrance not seen with the original equipment,” Robb explains.

The original show, conceived by Franco Dragone, set a high bar for immersive storytelling. Updating a production with such legacy required careful consideration: “Many people know the original version, so any changes needed to exceed expectations,” Robb notes.

Different challenges

A new scene called the Aquarium Cage presented unique challenges—a breath-holding act requiring a tank to drive seven metres underwater onto stage lifts. “We needed to design a tank that would drive seven metres underwater onto the stage lifts and then figure out how to load the performer inside the tank and transfer her from a regulator breathing oxygen from a tank into an apnea (breath-holding act),” Robb describes.

Expert free divers who had worked on HODW were brought in to establish safe procedures and train the artist for this stunt.

Another significant challenge involved reprogramming every automation cue. Since original automation desks and software had become obsolete, all show, training, and technical maintenance cues required rebuilding, testing, and validation.

“We assembled a team of highly skilled automation specialists to reprogram over 6,000 existing cues and implement new ones added during the process, a truly monumental task,” Robb states.

OLC and a one-of-a-kind show

OLC's scope included recasting all onstage roles, hiring operations staff, overseeing theatre rehabilitation and systems upgrades, building new scenic elements and costumes, reprogramming automation cues, managing the remount schedule, and training all personnel.

With a multinational cast and crew, challenges were inevitable. However, Robb observes: “House of Dancing Water had very strong operational processes in place in its original 10-year run. The remount was about bringing those processes back and bringing new staff into that world, sharing with them how a show of this scale is run safely and efficiently and how to handle situations when things don't go to plan.”

“It represents a level of spectacle that is unmatched in the region. While many integrated resorts currently prioritise more conservative or cost-effective entertainment models, this production stands as a unique benchmark for Asia-Pacific,” Robb adds.

Rising to different challenges

Resident shows and limited-run events require fundamentally different production approaches. “Most of the priorities of a resident show are built from the need for repeatability and sustainability. That approach applies to the equipment you choose, the materials you use, the people you hire and the standard operating procedures that you create,” Robb explains.

“On a limited run, you are looking for a team that can thrive in an unexpected environment, vendors who can support the execution of the idea and talent who know how to create in the moment. Fortunately for OLC, our team is well-versed in both environments,” she continues.

The need for spectacle

Girard reflected on continued demand for large-scale shared experiences: “We need to learn to celebrate again. We spend so much time being negative about everything that's going wrong with the world. Sometimes it's just nice to celebrate together and have a milestone to look forward to.”

“I think this is an important time for large-scale public productions. We saw this firsthand during the week following New Year's Eve; despite the holiday having passed, tens of thousands of people continued to arrive each night, pushing the boardwalk's crowd-control measures to their limits.”

“Beyond the spectacle, these events offer invaluable cultural experiences that are accessible to everyone in the community, regardless of socioeconomic status. These large-scale shows, they really do create memories that people take with them,” Girard emphasizes.

For OLC, these projects reinforce its position in the global live entertainment market. “OLC is a young, agile company powered by a team with a history of breaking cultural and entertainment boundaries worldwide. We are proud of HODW and EMAAR NYE, as these projects demonstrate our capacity to deliver, but the industry may be surprised by where we go next. We have many plans and ideas across the spectrum of entertainment and certainly do not want to be pigeonholed into one type of genre. We invite partnerships with those who share our passion for disrupting the status quo,” Robb concludes.

Originally featured on Blooloop. Read the full feature: From Macau to Dubai: how OLC is delivering mega-spectacles on a global scale.