
Choreographer Nadim Cherfane surrounded by the dancers of the "Mayyas" troupe on September 14, 2022 in the United States. Photo KEVIN WINTER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP
They did it! Lebanese dance troupe "Mayyas" won on the 17th season of the TV show "America's Got Talent" Wednesday night, beating out 10 other candidates to claim the top prize.
When results were announced, a shower of confetti fell on the stage and the Lebanese winners were joined by their choreographer, Nadim Cherfan. The presenter Terry Crews had first announced the top 5. When he revealed that the Mayyas dancers were part of it, the audience applauded them eagerly. Then, when the Mayyas learned that they are part of the top 2 finalists, against Kristy Sellars, pole dancer, one of them said: "We can hardly believe it, we are very happy!"
You voted, now we've crowned our #AGT Season 17 Winner! ? pic.twitter.com/m8VBXzJpZA
— America’s Got Talent (@AGT) September 15, 2022
The victory was decided by a public vote. The 36 Lebanese dancers and their choreographer Cherfan won $1 million and the chance to perform with "America's Got Talent Live" in Las Vegas.
Cherfan, who confided to L'Orient-Le Jour in June that Mayyas' objective was "simply to win this competition," said he wished to dedicate the success of his troupe to Lebanon, where support for Mayyas has turned into national and patriotic pride.
Cherfan also noted the difficulties inherent to Lebanese daily life that the dancers had to overcome to participate in the troupe, in a society that does not always understand why a woman may choose to dedicate herself to dance.
In Lebanon, president Michel Aoun awarded “Mayyas” the Lebanese Gold Medal of Merit, in appreciation of its “artistic contributions and success in the most important international talent programs,” the Lebanese Presidency tweeted Thursday
The 36 dancers won the jury over with their first audition for the TV competition, after which they gained direct access to the semi-finals. They then offered a new breathtaking performance that earned them enough votes to move on to the finals.
For the finale, guests such as Light Balance, Black Eyed Peas, and Darius Rucker were invited to perform. The dancers of the Mayyas troupe presented a short dance with Kristy Sellars.
.@mayyasofficial and @kristysellars0 are an unstoppable duo. ✨ #AGT pic.twitter.com/dWBGNxvPuF
— America’s Got Talent (@AGT) September 15, 2022
During their finals performance Tuesday night, they again wowed the audience and jury with new choreography. The stage opened on a dancer whose vast skirt was formed by the 35 other artists of the troupe, white feathers in the hand.
Mayyas faced stiff competition in the finals, including ventriloquist Celia Munoz, the country singer Drake Miligan and the saxophonist Avery Dixon. They succeed Dustin Tavella, the magician and singer who had won Season 16 of America's Got Talent.