America’s Got Talent Season 17 is heating up fast as Sofia Vergara has already handed out her Golden Buzzer. On Tuesday night’s episode, Vergara bestowed the Golden Buzzer on an all-female dance crew called The Mayyas. Many fans feel that they earned it with one of the most hypnotic performances in the competition series’ history.
The Mayyas were formed in Lebanon by choreographer Nadim Cherfan, then traveled to the U.S. to pursue their dream of performing for a living. As Cherfan explained to the camera before their performance: “Lebanon is considered a place where you can build a career out of dancing, so it’s really hard, and harder for women.” Cherfan said that he “grew up watching America’s Got Talent,” so the show was one of his big goals when bringing the team overseas.
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On stage, the dancers explained that their team name “The Mayyas” refers to “the proud walk of a lioness.” Once again, they emphasized how out of place their talents were back at home. They said: “Lebanon is a very beautiful country. But we live a daily struggle. Unfortunately, being a dancer as a female Arab… Is not fully supported yet.”
The dancers promised that their unique routine would “hypnotize” the audience, and they were not wrong. The group employed an intricate pattern of synchronized movement with undeniable style and grace. The whole crowd was clearly taken by the performance, but none more so than Vergara.
“There are no words to explain to you what we were feeling over here,” she said. “It was the most beautiful, creative dancing I’ve ever seen.” After the other judges praised the performers, she continued: “It’s time for us to vote, but I want to say something first. I would be so honored to empower you even more in this journey because you deserve it. And I want to be part of this!”
With that, Vergara slapped her Golden Buzzer, unleashing a shower of confetti on The Mayyas, who were floored by the gesture. Several of the dancers broke out in tears. The dancers will now move on to the live rounds in Hollywood, competing against the other acts including the other three Golden Buzzer recipients. Cherfan compared the group to last year’s Golden Buzzer contestant Nightbirde, so hopefully they can have just as much success.
America’s Got Talent continues on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. You can stream previous episodes now on Peacock.
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