The votes are in and America has chosen the show-stopping Lebanese dance group Mayyas as the winner of America’s Got Talent season 17 (Read our Recap)
The Mayyas started the season off with a bang receiving Sofia Vergara’s golden buzzer as she told them she wanted to go the distance after feeling empowered by their talent and story. They come from Lebanon and were the first Arab dance troupe on AGT. In Lebanon, dancing isn’t a supported career and especially not for women. Their audition displayed their strength of forming shapes through their dances.
“From the moment I first saw the Mayyas, their act was spectacular and gave me goosebumps,” said Sofia in a press statement. “Their coordinated choreography was the most beautiful, creative dancing I have ever seen. Each time they competed, they continued to outdo themselves. Their empowering performances have earned them the ultimate title and I’m so proud of them and can’t wait to see what they do next.”
The Mayyas celebrate their journey
In Tuesday’s final performance episode, the group began their routine in the form of a tall gown before moving the feathers they were holding around, and revealing the group. They displayed their great sync once again while holding glowing orbs. The routine felt like a mix of their audition and semifinal performance, but also new. It truly celebrated their journey and was a really fun routine.
In the Semifinals, the group took it up a notch from their audition and brought even more storytelling to the stage. The piece was haunting, and the group slithered like a snake at one point. Sounds weird, but if you haven’t already watched it, do it now. This was my favorite performance of the group, and of the entire season.
Mayyas have won two Got Talent shows
Something that’s amazing about the act is all the music is curated specifically for the Mayyas by composer Harry Hedeshian. What’s also crazy is the group has only been around for 4 years. Choreographer and founder Nadim Cherfan founded the group about 4 years ago. The name of their group stems from an Arabic word, meaning the proud walk of a lioness. They won Arab’s Got Talent in 2019, and now have gone on to win AGT Season 17! This is only the beginning for this super talented and innovative dance group! They are arguably one of the best acts to ever to compete on AGT.
Only one dance act has won America’s Got Talent, and not since Kenichi Ebina who won Season 8. Season 17’s Top 2 were 100% right as multimedia pole dancer, Kristy Sellars (who placed second) and The Mayyas gave three flawless performances that were unique to AGT.
It’s rare to see dance earning so many votes on the show, so it was clear that both acts were excellent. Coincidentally, Kristy and Mayyas ended up performing together on the finale for their showcase performance. It was short but a cool combination of the two act’s dancing. It all ended with Kristy running out and holding a glowing orb, standing in the center of the Mayyas.
AGT prize is $1 million and headlining AGT’s Las Vegas residency
Wednesday’s finale had a collection of performances celebrating the season that featured the Top 11 finalists paired up with someone famous, an alum or another act from the season to showcase their talents. In the second half of the show, the results narrowed it down to a Top 5, and finally, a winner was revealed.
The Mayyas win the show’s $1 million grand prize (paid out over 40 years) and will join “America’s Got Talent Las Vegas LIVE” stage show at Luxor Hotel and Casino. The group’s specific performance dates in Las Vegas, as well as the other season 17 fan favorites that will be joining, will be announced soon.
