Dany Bustros (, 8 October 1959 – 27 December 1998) was a Lebanese belly dancer,

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...

and

stage actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. She was a member of the

Bustros family The Bustros family is a prominent Lebanese Antiochian Greek Orthodox/Catholic family. One of the “Seven Families”, it is one of the original Beirut families along with the descendants of Sursock, Fernaine, Dagher, Trad, Tueni and Gebeily ...

, an

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

Beiruti family. At the height of her career she was considered to be "Lebanon's Leading Belly dancer" who had successfully combined traditional dance with western dance forms such as

Flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...

and modern.

Biography

Origins

Dany Bustros was born on 8 October 1959 in Beirut, to the prominent

, one of the seven original

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

aristocratic families that constituted the traditional high-society of Beirut. The Bustros family were originally estate holders and feudal lords, they later became business owners, artists and land owners throughout Lebanon.

Career

Bustros achieved acclaim for her dance revue "Boulevard de la Cité" in 1991. In 1993 she made her acting debut in the French play "Encore une minute" (One more minute). Two years later, she starred in a musical alongside Lebanese singer-composer

Melhem Barakat Melhem Barakat (‎; 15 August 1945 – 28 October 2016), also known as Melhim Barakat or Abou Majd, was a Lebanese singer, songwriter, and composer. Barakat was a renowned singer in Lebanon and the wider Arab world. He toured Australia, Sout ...

Personal tragedy and later suicide

In 1994, Bustros witnessed the drowning of her 16-year-old son George. She

attempted suicide A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives. Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is ...

twice before her death in 1998. In the weeks leading up to her death, a close friend of the entertainer frequently saw her at church. When asked what was wrong, Bustros replied, "I need God".

Death

Bustros died in December 1998 at her home in Adma. The cause of death was suicide by firearm.

Cultural impact

In 2017, Lebanese singer Elissa released a music video that depicted the life of Dany Bustros. It was directed by Angy Jammal. The song's title "Aaks Elli Shayfenha", which translates to "The opposite of what you see", is supposed to shed light on depression and mental health issues.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bustros, Dany 1959 births 1998 deaths Lebanese female dancers Lebanese belly dancers Lebanese socialites Greek Orthodox Christians from Lebanon Lebanese stage actresses 1998 suicides Suicides by firearm Suicides in Lebanon