Cultural statement on a super stage
Seizing their opportunity to make a cultural statement, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira infused the Super Bowl halftime show with an exuberance that celebrated their Latina heritage.
Their breathless athletic ability matched that of the football players waiting in the locker room.
Shakira opened with, yes, a hipshaking performance of “She Wolf ” and a fastmoving medley that included bits of “She Wolf,” “Whenever, Wherever” and a snippet of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” She managed a belly dance, some rope dancing and even backed into a crowd surf. Shakira ended with her signature song, “Hips Don’t Lie.”
Lopez, in a black leather outfit that her dancers matched, started with a nostalgic snippet of “Jenny From the Block.” She exhibited startling poledance moves, a reference to her celebrated turn in the movie “Hustlers.” At one point, she bent into a deep squat while standing on the shoulders of a dancer that likely had muscles aching across the country in sympathy.
She tore through “Love Don’t Cost a Thing,” “Get Right,” “On the Floor” and “Que Calor,” finding time to slip away from black leather into a sparkling silver outfit that left little to the imagination. Having, essentially, an opening act for a concert that stretches not much longer than a dozen minutes was risky. At times, the performance seemed rushed, as if they were trying to say too much in too brief a time. The guest acts, J. Balvin and Bad Bunny, were superfluous, serving to emphasize the talents of the headliners.
The first halftime show to celebrate Latino artists rightly could be declared a success. It bodes well for the management of JayZ, who packaged the program for the first time on a new deal with the NFL.
Memorably, Lopez’s daughter, Emme, joined her mother for a verse of “Let’s Get Loud,” in which the 11yearold girl sang the chorus of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” Her mother then held out her arms and showed off a red, white and blue cape to the crowd that was a representation of the Puerto Rican flag in its inner lining, with the stars and stripes on the outside.
It was a reminder to a television audience that approached 100 million that a different part of America was making a powerful statement in favor of inclusion.
The two women came together at the end to sing “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” the song Shakira composed that was the theme of the 2010 World Cup.
“Muchas gracias,” Shakira said as the camera pulled away.
“Thank you so much,” Lopez said.
David Bauder is an Associated Press writer.