Dance group Mayyas unveil new show during debut public performance in Lebanon

America's Got Talent winners deliver routine inspired by Beirut's character and heritage

Members of the international female Lebanese dance troupe Mayyas, who won America's Got Talent season 17 in 2022, perform for the first time in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo / Hussein Malla)

The show took place at the Beirut Waterfront

Called Qumi, it was the group's most extravagnat production to date

The show featured more than 75 dancers

The show blended various modern and traditional dance styles

Qumi is inspired by the heritage of Beirut

Qumi poses questions on what are the characteristics of the Beirut and what are the Lebanese people made of

Mayyas earned a global fan base after winning America's Got Talent in 2022

Mayyas also shared the stage with Beyonce at the launch of Royal Atlantis Dubai in 2023

Mayyas emerged in 2019 when they became the first act from Lebanon to win Arabs Got Talent

The group is led by founder and choreographer Nadim Cherfan

Mayyas hopes to take the new show Qumi on the tour with a regional tour

Mayyas are based in Beirut

Global TV stars Mayyas performed in public for the first time in their home country Lebanon, celebrating its capital with a new dance show.

The decorated troupe, who garnered an international fan base after winning America's Got Talent in 2022 before sharing a stage with Beyonce at the launch of Royal Atlantis Dubai, performed Qumi at Beirut Waterfront.

Ahead of the show, founder and choreographer Nadim Cherfan told The National it was Mayyas's most extravagant production to date with more than 70 dancers on stage. "It is really a story about Beirut, or at least the way we see it,” he said.

“The story does take some fantastical turns but when it comes to our discussion of Beirut and Lebanon as a whole it is grounded in reality. Qumi poses questions like what the characteristics of the city are and what are the Lebanese people made of.”

Mayyas emerged in 2019 when they became the first act from Lebanon to win Arabs Got Talent. Amid the economic decline gripping Lebanon, a situation described as one of the world’s worst economic crises by the World Bank, the group kept their dance studio afloat and were soon invited to participate in America's Got Talent, where they won the $1 million prize.

"It was so meaningful for all of us to win, considering the situation in Lebanon. And while we are grateful for all the love and support it still feels, to me at least, that it’s not yet time to fully celebrate,” Cherfan says. “My mindset has always been ‘well, what’s next’. If I climb a mountain, I feel I have to get ready for the next one.”