Halftime Show: Latino Gang
Even if you're not a football fan, the halftime show is entertainment people wait for, and two icons did not disappoint.
The annual Super Bowl championship was on February 2, 2020 that included San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. Not only were fans watching for the big game, but also the halftime show that included two of the worlds biggest Latina icons. The headliners were Jennifer Lopez, a Puerto Rican pop singer and dancer, and Shakira, a Colombian singer and dancer. These female artists represented a diverse culture for the world to see with an underlying message.
Shakira began the show with her 2009 pop hit, ‘She Wolf’, that electrified the stadium in a single verse. The multi-talented sensation went on to show us her guitar skills as she rocked ‘Empire’, but soon after hit the audience with a belly dancing sequence that captivated the world. The singer used a rope as she belly dances first tying it around her wrist, body, then swinging it in the air to let go. The rope was a depiction of how people of color or certain cultures have been not only held captive, yet tied down because of who they are. The Super Bowl whether people wanted it to or not did hold some sort of political views between the lines. Within these times people of color have not been supported, and living their lives in fear not knowing what comes next.
She still kept it fun with entertaining the audience with her hit songs, and brought out another Puerto Rican Latin artist, Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny is a trap and reggaeton singer who has had chart toppers such as ‘I like it’ featuring Cardi B and J Balvin. She ended her section of the entertainment with her famous chart topper, ‘Hips Don’t Lie’, which hers definitely don’t, even at the age of 43. Shakira made sure to bring her Columbian dances to the stage with tons of choreography that were favored by the audience while watching.
Jennifer Lopez entered on a pole shouting, “Miami, are you ready?” and without a doubt everyone was. Lopez is known for her elaborate dance routines. Moreover, while singing her hit songs, the choreography contained a variety of hip-hop, salsa, and pole dancing. Now if you’ve seen Lopez’s recent movie Hustlers, she played the role of a stripper, so why not share some of that at the Super Bowl. In this performance, she gave a pole dance before singing ‘Waiting for Tonight’. Lopez spun showing off her core strength that most of us wish we will have at age 50 because she’s putting that bar pretty high. It was flirtatious, but nothing the audience would have seen inside a strip club. Afterwards, people were questioning if this performance was really family-friendly because of the clothing and dancing of the headliners.
Another surprise guest was the Columbian reggaeton singer, J Blavin, who sang ‘Mi Gente’ while Lopez and her dancers danced to the reggaeton beat. Emme, 11 year-old daughter of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, performed ‘Let's Get Loud’ - this snippet included a choir of young girls singing while holding hands, and some were put in white spherical cages. This represented the immigration policy President Donald Trump issued that separates families at the U.S.-Mexico border. Latinos were greatly targeted, and families were broken because of this legislation. Children were left to fend for themselves, and Lopez wanted these children to know that they weren’t alone. Voices are being heard through these small, but significant moments.
Not only was Lopez being political in subtle ways, but her daughter sang Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the U.S.A’ while she wore a feathery Puerto Rican Flag over her silver sequined leotard. Lopez yelled, “Let’s get loud! Latinos!” and made the statement of justice and support for everyone all around the world. During this, Shakira made a cameo in the segment on the drums then joined Lopez on the stage to start on her famous 2008 World cup anthem, ‘Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)’. This song screams diversity, and is done with afro-columbian choreography. Shakira brought her culture of dancing and mixed it with Champeta, a dance genre with African roots that is from Columbia’s Atlantic Coast.
The Latino gang was complete after all these four singers made their mark on this stage. Not only did these women empower us to go to the gym after their performance, but the cultural diversity shined through. Both headliners were latinas, but different genres of choreography, style, and music were given to the world. These women used their platform to represent those who are not heard, and gave them a voice.