Dany Bustros


Dany Bustros was a Lebanese belly dancer, socialite and stage actress. Renown throughout the middle east.
She was a member of the Bustros family, a prominent clan in Lebanese society. 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 and Modern.

Biography

Origins

Dany Bustros was born October 8, 1959 in Beirut, to the prominent Bustros family, whom were one of the seven original Beirut aristocratic families, that constituted the traditional high society of Beirut and Lebanon for a long period of time. 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 Cite" in 1991. In 1993 she made her acting debut in the French play "Encore Une minute". Two years later, she would star in a musical alongside Lebanese singer-composer Melhem Barakat.

Personal tragedy and later suicide

In 1994, Bustros witnessed the drowning death of her 16-year-old son George. After his death, she was unable to emotionally recover from the tragedy and was facing severe financial problems. Family members and friends refused to lend her money to help resolve her finances when she approached them. She had twice made suicide attempts. According to the book "From Israel to Damascus : The Painful Road of Blood, Betrayal and Deception", one of Bustros's suicide attempts was motivated by her ex-lover Elie Hobeika breaking up with her.
In the weeks leading up to her final suicide attempt, a close friend of the entertainer frequently saw her at church. When asked what was wrong Bustros replied "I need God".

Death

In December 1998, Lebanon was stunned after Bustros' body was found in the bedroom of her house in Adma by her Saudi boyfriend Nasser Malik Darrar lying in a pool of blood with a pistol by her side.
Bustros had reportedly shot herself in the head at close range with a small caliber pistol. She was taken to Our Lady of Lebanon Hospital in Jounieh, where she was pronounced brain dead after spending 21 hours on a life-support machine. According to doctors, her heart had also stopped and she had died from a brain haemorrhage.
Investigators had concluded the dancer mostly committed suicide because of repeated bouts of depression and financial difficulties.

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, titled '3aks Elli Shayfenha,' translates to "the opposite of what you see." is supposed to shed light on the reality of depression and mental health issues.