Lebanese dance company the Mayyas took America’s Got Talent by storm this week, impressing judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara so much they received a golden buzzer and fast track to the live shows.
However, the successful audition was not the female troupe’s first talent show appearance.
The crew was founded in Beirut by Nadim Cherfan, who is also the act’s choreographer. Cherfan started dancing aged 14 and attended workshops in the UK, the US and India. He launched his own dance classes in studios around the Lebanese capital in 2012, before forming the Mayyas.
In 2019, the group appeared on the sixth series Arabs Got Talent and went on to win the series. In the same year, they participated in Britain’s Got Talent: The champions, an international spin-off of the talent show on UK TV.
Appearing on America’s Got Talent, the group now have their sights set on winning the coveted $1 million prize. Their 2019 Arabs Got Talent win came with a new car and a 200,000 Saudi riyal ($53,333) cash prize.
:quality(70):focal(2500x1544:2510x1554)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/FTKAGHQE4USJ4SRS7IB4D5A76E.jpg)
Despite not making it past the semi-final on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions, Cowell — a judge on both shows — described the act as “genius” and his fellow judge, English comedian David Walliams said: “It was one of the most beautiful things I ever seen. This is one of those acts where it only works if every one of you is doing their piece perfectly and every one of you did.”
On Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions, the Mayyas were one 45 acts who competed in a pool that featured global talent hailing from the UK, India, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Singapore and more.
Speaking to The National after their Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions experience, Cherfan said he was satisfied with the experience. “We wanted to go there and show what we can do because that was important to us,” he said.
“The best part of it all was that we were invited to alongside winners from around the world. To be included in that is special.”
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/FNW3WDSVVNEOFILOYBJNUFYRQE.jpg)
MBC’s Mazen Hayek said that their stint on the show and international success was an inspiration for the whole region.
“They are symbol of resilience,” Hayek said. “Reaching Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions is another example of token of that resilience and example of that there is nothing impossible when there is talent and determination. They are the perfect embodiment of Arab youth for whom the sky is the limit.”
During their America’s Got Talent audition, the group explained their name, saying it “is a word in Arabic that means the proud walk of a lioness”.
Vergara also asked the group about life in Lebanon right now, to which they replied: “Lebanon is a very beautiful country, but we live a daily struggle.”
Another dancer said: “Unfortunately, being a dancer as a female Arab is not fully supported yet.”
When asked about their dream, they said that being there “on the biggest stage in the world” is their “only chance to prove to the world what Arab women can do, the art we can create, the fights we fight”.
Back in 2019, Cherfan had his sights set high, telling Arab News: “I would love to one day choreograph for Beyonce.
“She’s a huge inspiration and amazing dancer, and she’s the number one entertainer in the world.”
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/RSSISCLS4ZEXZLSKKBRFTS7GQY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/MDVPS5D5MNGADPC3I4DJTMYUHY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/7CWISNFQJUEEVYJ6LFHAKPNXDE.jpg)
Watch Mayyas’ full America’s Got Talent audition here:
Steve Dackin, one-time Ohio schools superintendent, signs settlement agreement for ethics violations, avoids criminal prosecution
Steve Dackin, who spent 11 days as Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction before resigning amid an ethics investigation, signed a settlement with the Ohio Ethics Commission, the agency announced Friday afternoon. Under the terms of the settlement, the Ohio Ethics...
Clean up of salt pile that devastated Mentor Marsh will cost another $3 million – increasing tab to more than $13.5 million
It’s going to cost another $2.97 million to clean up the infamous “salt fill site” that contaminated Mentor Marsh decades ago and created a major environmental disaster that is still being dealt with today. The additional funds will increase the amountallocated for...
Samsung warns of 32% hit to profits on chip slump
Technology giant Samsung has warned of a 32% slide in its profits as demand for electronic devices and the memory chips that power them shrinks due to the global economic slowdown. The South Korean company estimates its quarterly operating profit was about 10.8tn won...
Elon Musk: Twitter won’t ‘take yes for an answer’
Billionaire Elon Musk has said he aims to complete his purchase of Twitter by the end of the month, but the company "will not take yes for an answer". In a court filing, he said the social media platform had raised concerns about the "theoretical possibility of a...
Lebanon records first cholera case since 1993
Lebanon has reported its first cholera case in almost three decades in Akkar, an impoverished region in the north that borders Syria. The patient, a man from Syria, is in a stable condition and receiving treatment in hospital, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said. It...
Lebanon banks shut again after new round of security incidents
Banks in Lebanon will again close their doors until further notice from Friday after repeated security incidents, a source told The National. Lebanese banks closed their doors last month after at least seven branches were raided by angry depositors in a week,...
Our Businesses
Businesses We Endorse
Submit your event
We will be happy to share your events. Please email us the details and pictures at publish@profilenewsohio.com
Address
P.O. Box: 311001 Independance, Ohio, 44131
Call Us
+1 (216) 269 3272
Email Us
Publish@profilenewsohio.com