Celine Dion Rules Runway With Glittering Performance at Elie Saab Fashion Show in Riyadh
Celine Dion continued her slow re-emergence after a nearly two-year break from the public eye due to her battle with the debilitating Stiff-Person Syndrome to perform a dazzling two-song set on Wednesday (Nov. 13) at the “1001 Seasons of ELIE SAAB” event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The celebration of the Lebanese designer’s 45-year fashion career found Dion, 56, taking the stage among a parade of statuesque models while wearing a flowing pale pink floor-length sequined gown with a billowing cape and her hair pulled back in a bun. Dion walked slowly down a set of winding stairs at the back of the stage as a series of veiled models wearing similarly floor-sweeping glittery dresses paved her way.
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After the models slow-sashayed out of her way, Dion commanded the stage, performing her titanic 1994 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “The Power of Love” as the stage behind her flashed with digital waves of golden light. Her signature power vocals sounding undiminished, Dion belted out the tune to the accompaniment of a piano and an orchestral track, punctuating the soaring lines with her trademark dramatic hand gestures in a performance that left no doubt that, despite her health struggles, the singer is still in full command of her unparalleled instrument.
As if further proof were needed, Dion hit a series of extended notes with such force at the end that even she seemed pleasantly surprised and pleased, striking a defiant, forceful pose before bringing her hands up over her heart as the room burst into applause. Dion didn’t take much time to linger in the moment, as a polyrhythmic beat quickly bubbled up, accented by sprightly horns to set up the night’s big finale.
Clapping and bouncing in place as she encouraged the crowd to put their hands together, Dion then busted another fan favorite, 2002’s “I’m Alive,” as the final group of models walked by, with some extending their hands to greet the pop superstar. Moving around with ease and smiling broadly, Dion seemed energized by the group of white-clad dancers who joined her, shimmying her hips near the end and spreading her arms wide as a gospel choir rose up behind her singing the song’s inspiring chorus.
The singer put her hand over her heart, turned her back to the audience and then slowly spun around for a final hip-swiveling dance and a dramatic flourish, shooting her right hand over her head before accepting a pair of cheek kisses from the night’s honoree.
The night also featured sets from Jennifer Lopez (performing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and her hits “Waiting For Tonight,” “On the Floor” and “Let’s Get Loud”) Camila Cabello, Nancy Arjam and Amr Diab.
The Wednesday mini-set was just Dion’s second performance since her lauded comeback at the opening ceremony of this summer’s 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, followed by a surprise set at the City of Hope’s 2024 Spirit of Life Gala in Los Angeles in October. Dion has largely been out of the public eye since Dec. 2022, when she revealed her Stiff-Person Syndrome diagnosis; the rare neurological disorder can cause uncontrolled muscle spasms that make it hard to move, with Dion saying that sometimes they were so intense that they caused broken ribs.
The singer was forced to postpone all of her 2023 and 2024 tour dates as a result, a painful decision she chronicled in this year’s Prime Video documentary I Am: Celine Dion.
Watch Dion’s performance below.
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