A dance group called Mayya mesmerized America’s Got Talent judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell with a breathtaking dance that had everyone in a stunned silence.
Choreographer Nadim Cherfan founded Mayas to provide a “safe and creative space” for talented female dancers since Lebanon isn’t exactly supportive of women dancing.
The group’s name means “the proud walk of the lioness”.
Mayya’s idea was to hypnotize the judges so they asked all four to sit close to each other, to which the judges obliged.
“Unfortunately, being a dancer as a female Arab is not fully supported – So far,” one of dancers explained. “We are here on the biggest stage in the world, this is our only chance to prove to the world what Arab women can do – the art we make, we fight. …we want to show the world that we are truly capable of standing on our own feet as strong and powerful women.”
Then they took their places.
The Mayyas lined up single file and used their hands and feathers to create an illusion, almost like a peacock showing off.
The stunning visual illusion continued with various movements.
They drew their inspiration from the late Jane Kristen Marczewski, also known as “Nightbirde“.
She moved Simon Cowell to tears.
At the time, Nightbirde only had a 2 percent chance of survival, but she auditioned and her original ballad, “It’s OK” had Cowell hit the golden buzzer.
That meant Marczewski would go straight to Season 16’s live shows.
Except Nightbirde made the difficult decision to drop out of the competition to focus on her health.
She passed in February of this year, losing her battle.
It’s a super precise, extremely intricate dance with Arabic influences showcasing culture, style, and technique all in one.
A fellow Lebanese left a comment saying,
“I do have relatives and family thats from Lebanon and I’ve gotta say this. This was stellar. This was surreal. This was- wow! Goosebumps, hair-on-my-arms-standing-up every step of the way. It was like a mirage, a dream. Arabic culture is beautiful in many different ways. Outstanding job by the choreographer and all the ladies that performed tonight. Rooting for you to take home the gold.”
Talk about perfection.
Howie Mandel called their performance, “perfection”.
Heidi said it was “stunning,” while Simon went, “It was arguably the best dance act we’ve ever seen, and we’re honored to have you here.”
And then it was Sofia Vergara’s turn.
““There are no words to explain to you what we were feeling over here. It was the most beautiful, creative dancing I have ever seen! … And I would be so honored to empower you even more in this journey, because you deserve it, and I want to be a part of this!”
With that, the Colombian judge hits the golden buzzer, showering Mayya with gold from the rafters.
Mayya proved to the world that they deserve all the attention from now on. Watch out for this dance troupe in the future!
Check out their incredible dance below!
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