“America’s Got Talent” dance crew the Mayyas earned the golden buzzer from judge Sofia Vergara on Tuesday, and it’s not the first time they’ve gotten the honour in the “Got Talent” global franchise.
The all-female dance troupe hails from Lebanon and has previously earned the golden buzzer on “Arab’s Got Talent” season 6 in 2019, which they ultimately won. The group also performed for “AGT” judge Simon Cowell before on “Britain’s Got Talent: Champions” in September 2019, though they failed to make it to the finals on that series.
READ MORE: ‘AGT’ Contestant Kristen Cruz Wows The Judges With Her Powerhouse Cover Of ‘I See Red’
“That was absolutely genius, brilliant, inventive,” Cowell told the Mayyas on “BGT” at the time. “I’ve never seen a dance act like this ever on any of these shows. You can hear from the audience reaction, it was amazing.”
In the lead up to their debut on “AGT”, Cowell teased that the Mayyas were one of the best dance acts he’s ever seen.
Led by choreographer Nadim Shierfan, the group’s moves mix ideas from Chinese folklore and Lebanese folklore to create breathtaking and entrancing visuals. On Tuesday’s episode, Shierfan said that he grew up watching “AGT” and was inspired to take on the U.S. iteration of the series by previous contestant Nightbirde. “We can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy,” she once said on the show.
When the Mayyas took the stage, they floored the judges with their presence. The women explained that female dancers in Lebanon face many struggles. They added that they want to show the world that they’re able to “stand on their own feet as really powerful women,” which makes their group’s name — “Mayyas” means “the proud walk of a lioness” — a fitting choice.
READ MORE: ‘America’s Got Talent’ Judges Call Kieran Rhodes A ‘Star’ After Moving Audition
After their performance, the judges were in disbelief about what they had just seen. “There are no words to explain to you what we were feeling over here,” Vergara said. “It was the most beautiful creative dancing I’ve ever seen.”
“This really, really will make a difference in so many positive ways, full stop,” Cowell added, describing their performance as “the best dance act we’re likely to have ever seen.”
Once the judges had concluded heaping praise onto the women, Vergara shocked everyone by hitting the golden buzzer, giving the Mayyas an automatic ticket to the live shows.
The Mayyas are not the first act on “AGT” season 17 to have performed on other “Got Talent” shows. Pole dancer Kristy Sellars was crowned the winner of “Australia’s Got Talent” Season 9 in 2019 before she auditioned for “AGT” this season.
