Beyoncé and the Mayyas Lebanese dance troupe. (Credit: Mayyas' Instagram account/mayyasofficial)
It took her four years and $24 million to reappear on a stage for a concert-length performance, but on Saturday, Jan. 21, Beyoncé returned to give a private concert for the opening of the Atlantis The Royal hotel in Dubai.
Although the performance was private, and photos and video recordings were strictly prohibited, leaks from the event evidence that Beyoncé
delivered a show worthy of her reputation as the greatest performer of recent years — and it came with a Lebanese touch as the dance troupe Mayyas joined the pop star on stage.
Although several videos of the singer in rehearsal circulated on social networks, mystery surrounded the detailed program of her performance.
However, according to reports from the show, the icon of music and fashion notably did not perform any tracks from her latest album "Renaissance," released last July.
"Renaissance," considered the best album of 2022 by both The New York Times and the The Guardian, marks Beyoncé's return to the heart of the musical arena with underground pop, disco and house tones, a modern mix of a Gloria Gaynor of the 1970s and a Sade of the following decade, aesthetically redesigned to create a new genre.
According to reports, it was with a cover of Etta James' song "At Last" that Beyoncé opened the Dubai show after her years away from the big arena lights, and what followed entailed an array of panoramas, scores of dancers, multiple costume and atmosphere changes and spectacular visuals.
Lebanon and the Arab world as special guests
It is no secret that Beyoncé loves the East and its sounds. Ten years ago, during an interview with MBC, she confided that she "listens to a lot of Fairuz" and praised the vocal prowess and timeless musicality of the Lebanese legend.
On Saturday night, according to clips leaked from the performance, Fairuz-ian riffs played during transitions between numbers.
In addition to her admiration for Fairuz, the showgirl is also familiar with Lebanese fashion houses. On the occasion of this long-awaited return, guests saw her in a flamboyant red dress, designed by Nicolas Jebran. The designer said it was a "new milestone" to dress one of the most recognizable figure on the planet.
Beyoncé and the Mayyas Lebanese dance troupe. (Credit: Mayyas' Instagram account/mayyasofficial)
The diva was also seen in a stage outfit made for the occasion by Atelier Zuhra, an Emirati house that is beginning to make a name for itself.
If the harmonization between her hit "Beautiful Liar" and a track of Warda al-Jazairya surprised the audience in the room, the presence of the Mayyas dance troupe delighted as the Internet users discovered with pride that the Lebanese troupe was performing with the ambassador of RnB.
Mayyas, the winning group on the most recent season of the TV show "America's Got Talent" continues to seduce crowds around the world. In Dubai, footage shows them accompanying Beyoncé on the track "Bigger" with a choreography, as ever, conceived by Nadim Cherfan.