Shakira Invites Enola Bedard and The Business of Dance Mentees to Dance With Her at the FIFA World Cup Finals

Celebrity News Contributor

By: Ethan Rogers

A Santa Monica Pier dance collaboration caught Shakira’s attention, leading the global superstar to post, “Hey girls! You would be perfect to dance with me at the finals! Are you up for it?”

What began as a content collaboration between viral dance creator Enola Bedard and a few dancers from The Business of Dance online mentorship program turned into an unforgettable career moment when Shakira shared their video on Instagram Stories and invited them to dance with her at the FIFA World Cup Finals scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026, at New York New Jersey Stadium, also known as MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

In the Instagram Story, Shakira shared the video and wrote, “Hey girls! You would be perfect to dance with me at the finals! Are you up for it?” while tagging Enola Bedard.

Photo Courtesy: Enola Bedard / Shakira (Shakira invites Enola & dancers to perform with her at the FIFA World Cup Finals)

The video featured dancers performing choreography to Shakira’s song “Dai Dai” featuring Burna Boy. It was filmed at Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, May 16, 2026, just one day before Shakira announced her dance challenge.

After the video was posted, Menina Fortunato and many others began tagging Shakira and the FIFA World Cup in the comments, encouraging Shakira to see the dancers.

The next day, Shakira shared Enola Bedard’s Instagram Reel on her Stories to her audience of tens of millions of followers, exposing the collaboration and featured dancers to a massive worldwide audience. Enola later shared her reaction to Shakira’s invitation in a follow-up Instagram Reel, capturing the excitement of the moment.

Enola Bedard had originally reached out to Menina Fortunato, founder of The Business of Dance, to invite dancers from the mentorship program to collaborate with her on several content videos in Los Angeles.

For many of the dancers, the opportunity to dance with Enola was already a major career-building experience. Some traveled from across North America, including Ottawa, Canada, and Dallas, Texas, to take part in the shoot.

Bedard is a dancer, choreographer, singer, songwriter, and digital creator with tens of millions of followers across platforms. Known for her high-energy dance videos, creative direction, and viral choreography, she has collaborated with major artists including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Daddy Yankee, and Shania Twain. Her work has helped bridge the worlds of dance, music, social media, and live entertainment, establishing her as a widely recognized dance creator online.

The video featured The Business of Dance mentees Dylan Di Leo, Meaghan Mukamba, Ella Waitz, and Abby Beckley, alongside additional featured dancers Sofia Colvin, Tamara Reyes, Yuri Tanaka, Angel Johnson Wright, and Daniella.

What began as a chance to create content with a widely recognized dance creator quickly became something much bigger when Shakira saw and shared the video.

The video was filmed by Justin Corbo, a professional dancer, choreographer, content creator, and videographer who also performed alongside Bad Bunny in the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

“The timing could not have been more perfect,” said Menina Fortunato, founder of The Business of Dance. “Enola had already planned the Shakira video a week prior and filmed it with the dancers at Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, May 15, the day before Shakira announced her dance challenge. These dancers already felt like they were stepping into something special just by collaborating with Enola in Los Angeles. Then, for Shakira to share the video with an invitation to perform with her at the FIFA World Cup Finals was completely surreal.”

The moment has created excitement because the invitation was shared publicly by Shakira to millions of followers. The recognition represents a powerful milestone for Enola, the dancers featured in the video, and the mentorship program that helped connect them.

Two of the dancers almost did not make it. One had another show in Dallas the day after the shoot, while another was concerned about the last-minute travel expenses from Canada. Fortunato encouraged them to see the bigger picture and reminded them that career-changing opportunities are not always convenient.

“I always tell dancers, when opportunity knocks, you answer,” said Menina Fortunato, founder of The Business of Dance. “Opportunities rarely come when they are convenient, and they rarely come when you expect them. Sometimes you have to say yes and figure out the rest. These dancers chose to show up, and what started as a chance to collaborate with Enola became something much bigger when Shakira saw the video.”