The Chilean dancer and Dancing With the Stars choreographer Stephanie Stevenson and her 10-year-old daughter Jade SanPedro shared more than a tender mother–daughter moment during the Super Bowl Halftime Show 2026, they became part of a historic cultural statement. Dancing salsa alongside global superstars Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga, Jade was one of the children featured in the unforgettable performance of “BAILE INOLVIDABLE,” a moment that fused Latin rhythm, intergenerational legacy, and global visibility of the Hispanic experience.
For Stephanie, the moment carried even deeper meaning. As the performance came to a close, she proudly carried the Chilean flag across the stage, standing among American flags in a powerful visual of identity, migration, and belonging. “I just felt so much pride and joy that my little feet just did what they did,” she shared. What unfolded that night was not only a celebration of music, but a testament to love, sacrifice, and the enduring power of cultural representation passed from one generation to the next.
WHEN CULTURE TAKES CENTER STAGE: STEPHANIE STEVENSON, JADE SANPEDRO, AND THE LATIN LEGACY DANCED INTO SUPER BOWL HISTORY
FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON THIS INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT. CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU RECEIVED THE INVITATION FROM BAD BUNNY TO BE PART OF THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW AND REPRESENT YOUR CULTURE WITH THE CHILEAN FLAG?
Stephanie: I received an email inviting me to what turned out to be the Super Bowl Halftime Show, but at first I didn’t know because it didn’t say what it was for. It was a private invitation with no details. Later, one of the choreographers said, ‘Hey, I sent you an email, did you see it?’ And I had seen it, but since there were no details, I didn’t know if it was real or not. Then my husband said, ‘Hey, I think that date is Super Bowl Sunday.’ By then, it was already known that Bad Bunny was doing the halftime show, so I asked, ‘Just in case, is this is for Bad Bunny, the Super Bowl?’ And she said yes. And I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m going to be there!’ The invitation was for me, as a dancer.
At the end of the audition, they asked me, ‘Do you happen to have a child who dances salsa? Because we’re looking for a girl who dances salsa.’ And I said, ‘Yes, my daughter dances.’ They told me, ‘Okay, send me a video tonight.’ A week later, they called to tell me that my daughter and I had the callback. And about a month and a half later, they called to tell us we would be performing at the Super Bowl with Bad Bunny.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO PREPARE FOR THE AUDITION, AND WHAT WAS THE PROCESS LIKE? WHAT DID THE AUDITION CONSIST OF?
Jade: So it was long hours and we practiced for three weeks, but we got breaks. So we would get a day off and then we would go back to practice. The first time I saw him (Bad Bunny) was at practice. I was nervous. I was also excited. When he went up to me I told him: “Thank you for representing us Latinas y Latinos.” And he said, “You’re welcome!”
Stephanie: We were going through this journey all together as a family. She has a teacher on set, the first three hours of her workday were school and then she had rehearsal. And Bad Bunny is super chill, super cool, so down to earth. Very kind, especially to the kids.
WHEN YOU RECEIVED THE NEWS THAT YOU HAD BEEN SELECTED, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION AND YOUR FAMILY’S REACTION?
Jade: They were so excited for me. They were screaming and jumping. The principal made a morning announcement to the school. That was so awesome.
Stephanie: As a salsa dancer, I’m already on cloud nine that I’m even going to the audition. And then my daughter randomly gets a chance to dance. And then we get the call back together. Then we start the rehearsals and he’s in there like if nothing, but we’re coming home after these rehearsals like, ‘oh my God, we’re straight up dancing salsa with Bad Bunny, getting ready for a Super Bowl halftime show that everybody wants to watch!’
YOU ARE NOW PART OF SUCH A HISTORIC MOMENT THAT WILL LIVE ON IN THE MEMORY AND HEARTS OF MANY PEOPLE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY. WHAT HAS THIS EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?
Stephanie: There’s just so many elements that make it so special. It’s already special because I’m a fan. I’ve been dancing salsa for 31 years now. I’ve dedicated my entire life to the community, to salsa. So you never think as a salsa dancer that you’re going to be in a Super Bowl. What Bad Bunny had done for salsa is massive. He’s bringing it to life all over again. He’s making it cool. He’s making it relevant. So not only do you have the viejitos that are loving his music, you have also new generations that think it’s so cool. He’s reviving a rhythm that was on its way down.
Then, (for the Lady Gaga part) we’re dancing to a salsa song that is just music. They tell us, ‘ it doesn’t make sense now, but we promise it’ll make sense once you get the lyrics,‘because it’s from our surprise guest performer, and they don’t want it to leak’. They don’t want to tell you till two, three days before the performance. We were joking around thinking it was Gloria Estefan or Karol G. And we were in such shock when we saw Lady Gaga. For an American girl to sing salsa that’s so amazing, too. Because sometimes these remixes, they’re not the best. This one was so good. And to top it off, she was so nice. She rehearsed and rehearsed and her voice is just like an angel. We were all starstruck.
I’m there with my daughter and after 30 years of sacrifice you don’t expect this type of reward. I do it because I love my craft. I love my art. I’m already grateful I get to do it every day. I have a very successful dance studio here in LA only because of my parents’ sacrifice. My parents immigrated from Chile so that we could live out our dream life. And this is way more than my dreams.
Jade. And my mom was carrying the Chile flag. And she’s from Chile. So that was like super, and she was super happy.
THIS ACHIEVEMENT IS NOT ONLY A STEP FORWARD IN YOUR CAREER, BUT ALSO A SYMBOL OF PRIDE FOR THE LATINO COMMUNITY. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO REPRESENT YOUR CULTURE ON SUCH AN IMPORTANT STAGE, AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE THERE IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE?
Jade: Wow! I had no words. I was just like ‘I’m performing here?’ It’s like you walked into a tornado, but instead of air and like mist and stuff like that, it’s people. And they’re just screaming, it’s just all around you. Like, that’s the best I could really explain it.
Stephanie: It’s so massive and it’s so wow that it just feels like this grand thing that you walked into. I have a studio full of women of all walks of life. I’ve told them since day one, ‘me booking this, I feel like I was on stage with all of you. Because the dream of making it is not only for the studio. It’s for all the women there’. I felt like I was also representing the salsa community because I have traveled the world with salsa. So it’s like I felt that I was representing that community.
Jade: Yes! My mom traveled through Japan, Italy, Europe, through all that (with salsa). She met so many people and so many said ‘they made it!’.
FOR OTHER GIRLS WHO WATCHED YOU AND DREAM OF ACHIEVING SOMETHING SIMILAR, WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO BE LATINA?
Jade: It feels good. I feel proud. I’m happy abd I’m latina. I like having a Latino household.
Stephanie: It feels so beautiful. No te puedo explicar. I teach all women and what shocks me the most is how we’ve transcended and we’re such in a different place. In my dance studio hay de todo, de todas las edades, de todas las culturas, and all different body types. Now it’s not like ‘I have to be skinny to dance’, or ‘I have to be Latina to dance salsa’, or ‘Ya estoy muy vieja, no puedo bailar’. No. None of those stigmas are where we’re at today and that’s the beauty of all this and that’s what makes me more and more proud to be Latina. I live my life, my dream life because of all my parents’ sacrifices and I get to pass down my culture through generations, and transmit positive energy through Latin dance. This is the ultimate goal.
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE, WHAT OTHER DREAMS OR PROJECTS DO YOU HAVE IN DANCE, AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO CONTINUE INSPIRING OTHERS THROUGH YOUR STORY?
Jade: I would like to be the dancer for the singers I love. Like pop music, like Bad Bunny, Katseye and maybe Shakira. I would love to meet her.
SALSA ON THE WORLD’S BIGGEST STAGE: THE CHILEAN ROOTS, IMMIGRANT SACRIFICE, AND INTERGENERATIONAL LOVE BEHIND A 2026 SUPER BOWL HALFTIME MOMENT
At the heart of this moment lies a deeper message about love. Love expressed through music, movement, and the sacrifices made long before the spotlight arrived. For Stephanie, decades of dedication to salsa, community, and teaching were shaped by her parents’ decision to immigrate from Chile so their children could pursue a dream life in the United States. That sacrifice now echoes through generations, embodied in a daughter dancing freely on one of the world’s biggest stages, carrying not only rhythm but history.
This Super Bowl moment stands as a reminder of the power of transmitting culture with pride and intention. Through salsa, Stephanie has spent 30 years passing down joy, discipline, and identity to women and children across the world. Through Jade, that legacy continues and it is proof that representation matters, that culture survives through love, and that when Latin stories are seen and celebrated, they create space for future generations to dream bigger, stand taller, and believe that their roots belong everywhere, even under the brightest lights.
Photo credit: Courtesy by Stephanie Stevenson
