The Japan Times - Business of Dance Mentees and Enola Bedard Join Shakira for the FIFA World Cup Halftime Show

Business of Dance mentees Abby Beckley, Gianna Hardison, Dylan Di Leo and Ella Waitz earned the opportunity after appearing in Bedard’s viral dance video for Shakira’s “Dai Dai.”

Business of Dance founder Menina Fortunato initially connected her mentees with Bedard for the collaboration. After Bedard shared the completed video and tagged Shakira, it caught the global superstar’s attention and set off a series of opportunities that ultimately led the dancers to the FIFA World Cup.

Business of Dance connected the dancers to Enola. Enola’s video reached Shakira. Shakira brought them to the FIFA World Cup.

For several of the dancers, the performance marked their first professional job.

“I am incredibly proud of my mentees,” said Fortunato. “For some, this was their first professional job, and they performed with Shakira at the FIFA World Cup. Creating a vision board is one of the first assignments in our program, but none of us imagined they would be living these dreams so soon. Their journey is a powerful reminder that you may be just one connection away from changing your life. This is only the beginning.”

The halftime show concluded an extraordinary week for the dancers. They attended Shakira’s concert as VIP guests, went backstage, participated in the opening of the show, filmed social media content at Shakira’s hotel and ultimately performed alongside Shakira and Burna Boy during the FIFA World Cup halftime production.

The event also placed the emerging dancers on a global program featuring artists including Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS and Coldplay.

The experience brought several Business of Dance relationships together on the same stage.

Fortunato met Eseniia Mikheeva, who previously appeared on America’s Got Talent, in the summer of 2025. She later connected Mikheeva with her first dance agent and interviewed her for the Business of Dance Podcast.

Bedard has also appeared as a featured guest on the podcast, while Beckley, Hardison, Di Leo and Waitz are members of Fortunato’s mentorship program.

One year later, Enola, Eseniia and the four Business of Dance mentees found themselves together at the FIFA World Cup.

“This experience represents everything we teach inside the Business of Dance,” Fortunato said. “Talent matters, but so do preparation, relationships and the courage to say yes when an opportunity appears. One introduction and one creative collaboration can change the direction of a dancer’s career.”

The dancers’ journey demonstrates how professional opportunities can emerge beyond the traditional audition room. In this case, an industry connection led to a creative collaboration, the collaboration reached Shakira through social media, and the resulting opportunity placed four emerging dancers on one of the world’s largest stages.

About the Business of Dance

Founded by former professional dancer and entrepreneur Menina Fortunato, the Business of Dance is a mentorship and career development program that helps aspiring dancers bridge the gap between studio training and the professional entertainment industry.

Through coaching, professional development and industry education, the program prepares dancers to build sustainable careers in dance and entertainment.

The Business of Dance Podcast features conversations with leading dancers, choreographers and entertainment professionals, including Enola Bedard, Paula Abdul, Debbie Gibson, JoJo Siwa, Abby Lee Miller, Allison Holker and Carmit Bachar.

Related Media

Eseniia Mikheeva on the Business of Dance Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2FqX7oD4UwueZxKojK9Lwu

Enola Bedard on the Business of Dance Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2RIy7mEHsPdY9ofrAxsz7F

Contact

Source article: https://financewire.com/2026/07/20/business-of-dance-mentees-and-enola-bedard-join-shakira-for-the-fifa-world-cup-halftime-show/

M.Yamazaki--JT