The first Break Dance 5 from Huss Park Attractions is celebrating its world premiere at Vienna Prater. It is the first attraction from the new HUSS® Signature Rides Collection and in many ways an exceptional ride that builds on past successes while setting new highlights.
Since its launch in 1985, the Break Dance has remained one of the most popular and iconic attractions at fairs and amusement parks. The combination of spinning motion, speed and typical colorful design quickly made the Break Dance a worldwide success and a true revolution in the segment of roundabout rides. With well over 100 units delivered, the Break Dance is the most successful attraction ever designed and built by the Bremen-based manufacturer.
With the Break Dance 5, HUSS® presents the latest generation of this cult attraction. The design and ride dynamics of the brand-new attraction, which has been in the soft opening phase as "Laser Dance" at the Vienna Prater since August, are also based on the unique 'Break Dance formula' developed for the original attraction: the interplay of size, weight, angles, speed and control ensures a unique, spectacular and incomparable ride experience!
Compared to previous models, HUSS® has added 30% more power to the attraction and increased the top speed by another 30%. The higher speeds of the main turntable and the gondola crosses create a ride experience that is more dynamic and powerful than ever before! At the same time, the redesign has been optimized with a special focus on durability and safety, resulting in a maintenance-optimized solution.
The redesigned gondolas offer much more space and the seats with individual lap bars provide much more comfort and safety; the attraction is approved for passengers over 1.2 meters tall. For an even more immersive ride experience, the new gondolas can optionally be equipped with onboard sound and even motion sound.
Although Break Dance 5 offers more space for passengers, the new design allows for a more compact attraction. The gondolas now rotate closer together and move closer to the center and back wall, creating more intense effects.
Repositioning the gondola cross-drives under the main turntable has resulted in a much cleaner platform. The entire ride is designed with a slope, so that spectators or visitors have an unobstructed view of the heart of the attraction and can follow the ride cycle without hindrance.
Laser Dance Vienna
Break Dance 5 is the main attraction in the new entertainment complex on a newly developed plot at the Prater. It is located on the ground floor with an open front and extends over two floors of the new multi-storey building. The attraction and its passengers are protected from the weather, allowing it to operate all year round.
The vision and overall design concept of the attraction is the achievement of the manufacturer's creative team. The building integration allows for an immersive and fully themed attraction, which shines in a futuristic design, and the opulent LED lighting gives the facility a spectacular and thematically coordinated light show.
The attraction has two queues, ‘Adventure‘ and ‘Thrill‘, which offer visitors a unique ride experience. The riders are loaded alternately from the top of the platform, allowing the operator to optimize the management of visitor flows. As a result, the different ride cycles are therefore run one after the other and each queue is fully loaded.
On 11 June, Break Dance 5 was handed over to the customer after a successful TÜV approval. The soft opening phase has been running since the beginning of August. The operator is working hard to complete the entertainment complex and is putting the finishing touches to the staging and presentation of the main attraction. The whole "Laser Dance" complex will soon be inaugurated with a big event.
Show Ride Cycle
In a larger theme park even more would be possible, says HUSS® Sales & Creative Director Lars L. Hartmann: “The transition from a classic carousel to a signature attraction is based on the implementation of a show ride cycle that starts in the queue and reaches its climax with the actual ride. The ride is accompanied by a custom soundtrack and special effects to enhance the experience. Different show rides are available for different groups of guests, and the interaction of varied movement, sound and light guides the ride through the different phases, creating a fun adventure with each ride. These staged show rides are an exceptional addition to any theme park, appealing to families and thrill-seekers alike.”
HUSS® Operator Center Stage
As well as the new gondola design, the new center of the "Break Dancer" is a real eye-catcher. This place, called "HUSS® Operator Center Stage", makes the operator part of the ride and part of the show. He orchestrates the entire ride experience and is equipped with a complete show control system that allows him to interact with guests and the ride - literally from the center of the attraction. Another advantage is that the operator can also manage the one-man operation from the center during off-peak times.
What's more, the "HUSS® Operator Centre Stage" is also ideal for DJs who can turn the entire attraction into their stage for spectacular live events, while a second, external operator position can be used to safely control the ride.
Outlook: Transportable Versions
Back to the roots: Will the new generation of Break Dance also be available as a mobile attraction? Lars L. Hartmann: "Yes, we are again offering Break Dance 5 as a transportable attraction. Both the park version and the travelling attraction have exclusive features. The mobile version can also be fully and individually themed and illuminated. It should be faster to set up and require significantly less staff. The travelling attraction is offered with an innovative multi-functional podium concept that can be set up flexibly in two versions: "One of the two set-up options allows it to be placed on the exact footprint of the classic Break Dance 1," he explains, reassuring the huge Break Dance fan base: “Die-hard fans can continue to look forward to a sonorous and powerful drive noise.”
And not least interesting for the showman: new locations for a transportable attraction are also conceivable – in addition to the classic trade fair, festivals with live DJs on stage would be a whole new market.
The fifth and latest generation of this iconic flat ride, which still is extremely popular with fans and operators alike, has a high capacity with a comparatively small footprint: The ride has five crosses with four gondolas each, giving a capacity of 40 people per ride or up to 1,200 people per hour. The diameter of the main turntable is only 15.4 meters compared to 17.5 meters of the six-arm Break Dance 2.