BABAUTA STRUTS MOVES WITH WIZARDS

By Patrick Lujan

Always brimming with talent, Guam has placed yet another dancer with Chamoru roots onto the professional ranks. Gabriella (Gibs) Babauta is a 21-year-old, first year NBA dancer with the Washington Wizards. She joins other Guam dancers currently with pro teams: Rusty Estrellado (Golden State Warriors), Bailey Concepcion (Seattle Seahawks) and Hanna Sahagon (Philadelphia Eagles).

Born in 2003 in Virginia to parents Barb and Tony Babauta, Gibs was considered a natural talent since taking up dance at the age of 3 – and the love for dance has been with her since.  All this and being born with Amniotic Band Syndrome.

What is ABS?

During pregnancy, amniotic tissue bands would fall from the walls of the womb and entangle developing fetuses. It is considered a chance event. “We didn’t know until she was born, and we had to learn about it quickly,” mom Barb shared. Due to the ABS, Gibs’ right hand has a pinky and a thumb. The left hand has three underdeveloped fingers and lacks a thumb. Her left foot doesn’t have a big toe. “When she was a year and a half old, we brought her to an occupational specialist, and she said, ‘You will be surprised at what she will accomplish.’ We’ve always told her, ‘she can do whatever she puts her mind to’.”

During her childhood, Gibs would counter stares and questions with ‘I was born this way’. Despite having ABS, dance came second nature. From dancing in front of the TV to doing homework at the dance studio to countless competitions, dancing became her life. “She loves hip hop, but she excelled in tap,” dad Tony added. “I put a dance floor in the basement so she could practice both.”

WIZARDS FAN TURNS DANCER

In considering the path of a professional dancer, it never occurred to Gibs to dance for the NBA. By happenstance, she came across an ad on Instagram for interested dancers with the NBA team. “That’s how everything started,” Gibs said. “I’m very much a ‘do things on a whim’ type of person. I grew up going to Wizards games and seeing concerts at Capital One Arena, but never pictured myself being able to perform there.” Before the Wizards, Gibs graduated from a performing arts high school and then attended Virginia Commonwealth University.

She left VCU to pursue pre-professional training at the CLI Conservatory in Massachusetts. While a Wizards dancer, Gibs is also on staff at the Prince William Academy of Dance where she teaches hip hop, contemporary, and choreographs for their competitive dance team. 

After submitting an audition video, she got the invite to audition for the Wizards in person. “All audition processes are stressful, but that was one of the most stress filled weeks of my life.” Surviving the next few rounds of the process, Gibs was optimistic that she would make the squad, gauging it a 7.5 on a scale of 10 in the confidence level.

“I knew going into auditions that I do not look like a typical pro dancer. I am on the shorter side, I don’t have long legs that I can kick to my face, and I was born with deformities on both of my hands that can make me stand out. I’ve always looked a little different, but for auditions I wanted to use that to my advantage to stand out. I was so nervous the whole week that I couldn’t even watch the other applicants to see what my competition was. So when I would dance in front of the coaches and judges I was only relying on how I felt about what I was showing them. As long as I was presenting my confidence, I felt good about myself.”

After a few months with the Wizards, reality is just now settling in.

“I’ve been in front of audiences my whole life, and I love the excitement that comes with performing. Being on the the court of the Capital One Arena and dancing for the Washington Wizards, brings it to a whole new level.”

GUAM PRIDE

Though she was born and raised just outside of Washington D.C., Gibs has always been rooted in the Guam way of life through her parents and her grandparents. It is evident in her hard work, perseverance, and respect. “I feel incredibly proud that I get to represent Guam wherever I go. I didn’t have a lot of role models who looked like me, so I want to be someone that all little Chamorritas can see themselves in and know that they can be anything they want to be. I am going to continue carrying the strength of my island with me along my journey.”

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