Jennifer Lopez and Shakira brought an
energetic jolt of Latina star power to Sunday's Super Bowl
halftime show, delivering hip-shaking choreography and a medley
of infectious hits to one of the world's glitziest stages.
Latin artists Bad Bunny and J Balvin appeared as surprise
guests in the extravaganza, which signaled its Latin American
influences from the onset, when Shakira greeted the stadium
audience in Spanish with "Hola, Miami."
Dressed in a sequined, ruby-red outfit with matching boots,
Shakira led her team of dancers through snippets of hits such as
"Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie" before giving way to
J-Lo.
Lopez made her entrance in black leather and studs on a
stage set resembling the top of the Empire State Building, as
"Jenny from the Block" proudly announced she was from the Bronx,
New York.
The 12-minute halftime show, along with commercials, has
become a popular feature of the Super Bowl spectacle on par with
the game itself, which draws some 100 million television viewers
in the United States.
In Miami, a majority Latino city, where the Kansas City
Chiefs played the San Francisco 49ers for the championship of
the National Football League, the show's organizers had
discreetly built up expectations for a display of girl power
with a Latina twist.
The backgrounds of the two headliners fit two of the
demographics the National Football League is trying to attract
to expand its fan base: women and Latinos.
J-Lo, 50, is the Bronx-born child of Puerto Rican parents
who, as her own hit "Jenny from the Block" attests, rose from
humble roots to become an international star of Hollywood movies
and popular music with her own fashion and fragrance lines.
As her set progressed, J-Lo changed in a wink into a lacy
body suit, unfurling a rectangular boa with the U.S. flag on one
side and the Puerto Rican flag on the other. It was a subtle
reminder that Puerto Ricans - hit by a Category 5 hurricane in
2017 and more recently set back by a series of earthquakes - are
Americans, too.
She then strutted to "On the Floor," a 2011 hit, and "Let's
Get Loud," a track from her debut 1999 album, featuring a girls'
choir.
Shakira, 43, who is from Barranquilla, Colombia, in
building up the show she let it be known she sympathized with
Latinos in the United States, where anti-immigration rhetoric
has become more open in recent years.
"Latinos are going through a difficult time in the U.S.
right now, and I think it's very important for us to convey a
message of unity and also to show what a relevant force the
Latin community is in this country," Shakira told reporters on
Thursday.
This year's Super Bowl broke ground for women in high
places, including in the ownership of both teams (Denise York of
the 49ers and Norma Hunt of the Chiefs), and on the sidelines,
where San Francisco's offensive assistant Katie Sowers became
the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl.
"That statement alone is empowering," Lopez told reporters
on Thursday, referring to the women owners and halftime
headliners.
The Super Bowl halftime show started out 53 years ago with
university marching bands, a high school drill team and two guys
flying with jet packs. It has since evolved into a showcase for
A-list talent, including Michael Jackson, the Rolling Stones,
Madonna and Lady Gaga.