(Herald News photos by Alejandro Cano)

Shakira, a superstar from Colombia, dazzled the fans at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino last week.

There’s nothing like show business, and there’s nobody like Shakira.

With sensual hip movements, a matchless voice, and a fierce energy, the Colombian superstar thrilled thousands of fans last week during her second-to-last concert around the nation at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio.

Making her grand entrance through the crowd, Shakira shook the stands as mad fans tried to shake her hand. Once on stage, Shakira bedazzled the rowdy audience with English and Spanish themes from her latest album “Sale el Sol” (“The Sun Comes Out”), the third bilingual album by the Latin-pop singing-songwriter.

The melancholic title track “Sale el Sol” brought tears to the eyes of some rock fans since Shakira dedicated the song to her good friend Gustavo Cerati, co-founder of the famed Argentine group Soda Stereo, who has been in a coma since May of this year.

Wearing various colorful and sexy attires, Shakira also performed “She Wolf,” “Laundry Service” and “Loca” (“Crazy”) before moving to more popular songs like “Si te Vas” (“If You Go Away”), “Ciega Sordomuda” (“Blind Deaf”), and “Pies Descalzos” (“Bare Feet”), among others.

Using “Underneath your Clothes” as a transition between high to higher levels of energy, Shakira got people dancing with the song “Gordita” (Overweight), which had highly sexualized lyrics that made fans scream in excitement while some couples imitated the moves on the improvised dance floor.

As a word of caution to venue officials, a lack of security and rules for the crowd could have easily caused a riot, putting in danger hundreds of children who were in attendance. The presence of alcohol made it extra dangerous for the star and audience, with people walking freely through different sections of the casino.

The provided runway where Shakira performed Arabic dances to the rhythm of the doumbek (a drum that typically accompanies belly dancing) benefited people in the grandstands; however, it caused some fans to get angry as most people tried to get as close to her as possible, disrespecting the numbered-seats. With people standing on their seats to get a better look at Shakira, those in the back paid the consequences and settled to watch parts of the show on the big screen.

Shakira did not disappoint the more mature members of the crowd who went to see her perform songs like “Ojos Así” (Eyes Like That), “Obtener un Si” (To Get a Yes), and “En Tus Pupilas” (In Your Pupils), among other romantic songs.

This was that Shakira some people fell in love with and it was that Shakira that made them drive hundreds of miles from as far as Arizona to watch her perform. Some, waving Colombian flags, made the necessary arrangements to stay overnight in the region — a decision well worth it since they had already seen one of the best Latin performers of all time.

To fulfill audience requests, Shakira returned to stage to perform “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Waka Waka” (“Time for Africa”), the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which closed the show, but not before moving people to their feet.

The colorful and energetic performance ended with several bangs of confetti into the air to mark a true celebration. Shakira made the sun come out on the faces of many children in attendance, children who dream of one day being like her — children of all races whom Shakira would like to see grow without “Peligro” (“Danger”) so their “Sueños” (“Dreams”) could come true. But first they need to follow “Rules” to enjoy happiness “Whenever, Wherever.”