Shakira returned to touring in 2025 after a seven-year break, captivating audiences across North and South America with her charisma, unmistakable voice, and a repertoire full of hits. For her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” world tour, the Colombian superstar wanted a sleek design with big, bold looks for stadium shows and that’s exactly what lighting designer Dan Norman from design firm Silent House delivered with the help of 202 Elation PROTEUS HYBRID MAX luminaires, supplied by PRG.
“The overall direction was to make it as large as possible to fill the stadium and give Shakira’s fans the best show possible,” said Norman. “She doesn’t like overly complex rigs, opting instead for a super clean design with massive looks and minimal set pieces. The intricacy comes from the programming. We arranged lighting fixtures in a large, cohesive system that was able to activate with the music, and the PROTEUS HYBRID MAX played a big role in that.”
Norman joined the project in late 2024 for production, with the stadium tour launching in Rio de Janeiro on February 11. The tour has spanned South America, North America, Mexico, and Latin America, and is scheduled to conclude on December 11 in Argentina. Creative direction was handled by The Squared Division in close collaboration with Shakira, with production design by Yellow Studio.
Main Beam Light
An impressive stage design features hydraulic platforms, a 25-meter catwalk, and a 160-foot-wide LED wall, all complemented by some 800 lighting fixtures. Forming a significant visual element, the 202 PROTEUS HYBRID MAX are placed on the top and sides of the LED screen, wrap around the stage edge, and line the catwalk out into the audience, creating dramatic lines of light that cut through the screen’s intensity and connect the stage visuals to the audience.
It is Norman’s first time using the multi-functional fixture, which he chose as the show’s main beam light after a PRG-organized shootout. PRG has worked with Shakira since her 2024 Times Square album release event and provides lighting, video, and camera systems for the current tour.
PRG and PROTEUS
For PRG, the ideal fixture needed the right size and output while also being IP65-rated. Account Executive Burton Tenenbein of PRG explained: “An important element was its IP rating - the whole portal truss system is downstage of the roof, exposed to the elements, so we needed something that could withstand harsh weather.” He added, “The PROTEUS HYBRID MAX is a pretty small light but it’s punchy, and its arc source gives it that extra definition you need for long-throw stadium situations.”
Beams and More
Norman made sure he had enough fixtures to ensure a super energetic production but with slower ballads also on the set list, he needed a rig that could go small and more intimate when needed. “I knew that Shakira loves beams and wanted a great IP fixture that could do beams but also had a good zoom range for sparkly gobos and other zoom-pop effects,” he said. “I didn’t just want a beam fixture that could only do one thing, but something with a wider range. It offered enough functionality to achieve the effects we wanted.”
Quick and Consistent
Shakira was highly involved in the lighting design, Norman says, and timing was everything, so a quick, snappy fixture was key. “I wanted to use all the same fixture type, so we’d have consistent colors and uniform timing on intensities and color hits, etc.,” he explained. “When we have beams in the sky, I want everything the same color temperature for camera, and when we turn everything on at once, it had to be spot on and accurate. The color, intensity, movement and zoom were snappier with the HYBRID MAX than some of the other options he looked at.”
The fixture’s 22,000+ lumen output was also important. “The sheer output in beam mode surpassed everything else we tested,” the designer said. “It was the brightest, quickest option with a pan and tilt that is super-fast.” With the large LED wall and automation limiting rigging capacity, the PROTEUS HYBRID MAX provided a compact yet punchy solution that balanced size and power.
Bold Beams, Soft Accents
Norman, who also handled some programming, delivers visuals that perfectly match the music, creating a unique atmosphere for each song. He uses the HYBRID MAX mainly as a beam light but can switch to softer accent effects to suit the mood of each song. For Shakira’s classic “Hips Don’t Lie,” he created a rich beam look using layers of CTO and amber, opening the zoom slightly to create a backdrop that extended the screen content into the air.
Overall, lighting looks were kept clean and a bit futuristic. “A lot of her songs are upbeat, electronic dance numbers and key to that was using all the beams or all the strobes around the screen,” Norman explained. “A lot is screen content IMAG with clean looks of light that shoot away from the stage. For moments requiring less intensity, we’d open the zoom to spread gobos across the audience.”
Smart Ballast
Tenenbein of PRG also highlighted the PROTEUS HYBRID MAX´s variable lamp technology, which allows the intensity of the arc lamp to be adjusted for different applications without compromising output quality, enhancing the fixture's versatility for various production needs while saving on power.
“One nice thing technically about the light is its smart ballast,” he said. “For example, when you're doing a camera TV shoot, you don't need all the power you do in a stadium show. With the HYBRID MAX, you can use the smart ballast to change the output based on your application, but you still get all the features of the fixture. That versatility works well for our different business units.”
A triumph of production and performance, Shakira’s “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour” has been a record-breaking success. Her 12 shows at the Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City set a record for the most performances by a single tour at the venue, drawing 780,000 fans for the 12 sold-out dates.
Lighting Designer: Dan Norman (Silent House)
Lighting Programmers: Eric Christian & Dan Norman
Lighting Directors: Kathy Beer, Vanessa Arciga, Alyssa Milione, Peter Forster, Kate Leahy
Crew Chiefs: Gerardo “Hodgie” Vierna, Terry Mueller & Matthew “Skinny” LeRoux
Production Manager: David Wright (1st leg), Luke Larson (2nd leg)
Tour Director: Marty Hom
Creative Direction: Squared Division, Ashley Evans
Artist Manager: Nadine Eliya
Production Designer: Yellow Studio, Julio Himede & Damun Jawanrudi
Content: Blink
Vendor: PRG
FOH Technician: Reid Semmens
Dimmer Technician: Serafin Gonzalez
Dimmer Technician: Michael "Dave" Hare
Ground Control Technician: Andrew McClean
Ground Control Technician: Anthony Egendorfer
Ground Control Technician: Daniel "Danny" Villa
Moving Light Technician: Carlos Juarez
Moving Light Technician: Kyle Balani
Moving Light Technician: Petros "Pete" Keres
Climber: Miguel Lopez
Climber: Jacob Lujan
Technician: Jason Hicks
Technician: Jerry Gomez-Martinez
Technician: Alejandro Ruiz
Technician: Omar Juarez Aguayo
About Elation
At Elation, we collaborate with leading professionals in the lighting industry to help bring extraordinary experiences to life. As a designer and manufacturer of a wide range of high-performance entertainment lighting products, we’re proud to be a trusted partner to top lighting professionals and rental houses around the world. Our commitment to quality, innovation, and creative solutions has made us a go-to resource in the industry. We also offer an advanced line of lighting control products through Obsidian Control Systems, and a full range of dependable specialty effects called Magmatic. Elation serves clients worldwide through offices in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and the Netherlands. We invite you to take a closer look at elationlighting.com
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