A dance group called Mayya charmed America’s Got Talent judges Howie Mandela, Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell with a breathtaking dance that left everyone in stunned silence.

Choreographer Nadeem Cherfan founded Mayas to provide a “safe and creative space” for talented dancers, as Lebanon is not exactly supportive of women’s dancing. The band’s name means “proud gait of a lioness”. Maya’s idea was to hypnotize the judges into asking all four to sit close together, which the judges were obliged to do.

“Unfortunately, being an Arab woman dancer is not fully supported yet,” one of the dancers explained. “We are here on the biggest stage in the world, this is our only chance to prove to the world what Arab women are capable of – the art that we create, we fight. …we want to show the world that we are truly capable of standing on our own two feet as strong and powerful women.”