Shakira Brought Afro-Colombian Dance to the Super Bowl

At last night's Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez hit the stage during the halftime show and both brought their respective Latinx cultures to the forefront during their performance.

Shakira hit the stage first, running through tracks like her hit record "Hips Don't Lie," and more. The Colombian singer later returned to the stage following Jennifer Lopez's performance for a rendition of her 2008 World Cup smash hit "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa" (a remake of the 1986 song "Zamina Mina" by Cameroonian makossa group Zangaléwa).

After opening with the song, the singer notably danced Champeta, a dance and musical genre that originated from the African descendants of Colombia's coastal regions, including Barranquilla, where the singer is from. She performed the dance breakdown to the Congolese soukous song "Icha" by Syran Mbenza.

According toBillboard, earlier in the performance, the singer danced Mapalé, another Afro-Colombian dance, known for its swift and rapid movements that are meant to flow with the beat of the drum.

Ahead of her performance on Sunday night, Shakira took to Instagram to introduce Liz Dany Campo Díaz, the young dancer from her hometown who taught her Champeta for the show.

Another memorable part of the show was Shakira's mid-performance "tongue-wag," which it turns out, was more than just a playful gesture. Several on Twitter pointed out that the artist, whose father is Lebanese, was actually delivering a zaghrouta, a celebratory Arabic vocal expression and chant.

It was fun to see Shakira bring several multicultural elements to the big stage during the performance. If you missed it, you can check out the full 2020 Super Bowl halftime performance below.

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