Disney's Mickey Mouse Club is one of the most enduring showcases for teen talent in American
pop culture, highlighting some of the world's most skilled up-and-coming performers for
more than 60 years.
Its newest iteration, known as Club Mickey Mouse, includes Gabe De Guzman, a dancer and
choreographer born in 2001 who's been steadily making a name for himself since his pre-teens.
So who is this new player on the entertainment scene?
Dancing king
While Gabe is a multi-talented entertainer with a charming, dynamic presence, his real
gift is clearly dancing.
He got into dance at the age of five, and worked his way into the spotlight in 2011
at age 10, securing his first major gig performing alongside Bruno Mars and winning a solo dance
championship while competing at the national level.
By the time he joined Club Mickey Mouse, he was an award-winning competitive dancer several
times over.
Gabe started his YouTube channel in December 2011, and continues to use it as a platform
to promote his dance performances, whether it's footage from an amateur competition or
a self-produced dance video.
Music videos
Gabe's impressive résumé off-camera made it relatively easy for him to start transitioning
from the stage to the screen, and he started that journey with music videos.
The first he performed in as a dancer was "Lolly" by Maejor Ali, released in 2013, which
featured Justin Bieber and Juicy J. Shortly after, Gabe appeared in the video for Skrillex's
"Dirty Vibe," and in 2015, he was part of the ensemble in a video for a remixed version
of "Say Say Say" by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson.
Commercial spots
After dancing put him on the map, Gabe started expanding his portfolio, building out his
reel with a number of national commercials—some of which he doesn't dance in at all.
He's appeared as an excited kid in a spot for a Power Rangers Super Samurai tie-in toy,
as well as commercials for Hot Wheels, Old Navy, and of course, Disney.
Now that he's a part of Club Mickey Mouse, he's basically a brand ambassador, and a lot
of his life is kind of a commercial—so it's a good thing he's had plenty of practice.
In the background
The most widely seen performance he's been involved with was the halftime show of Super
Bowl XLIX, where he shared the stage with Missy Elliott and Katy Perry in a spectacle
that broke records for viewership.
After the performance, which took place on the eve of his 15th birthday, Gabe said the
experience was "overwhelming" and "unreal."
Prior to his big Super Bowl moment, he danced with Will Smith at the Kids Choice Awards
in 2012, with Ariana Grande at the live A Snow White Christmas show in 2012, and—in
one of his first big breaks—performed at the Macy's Passport Glamorama with Bruno Mars,
Cee-Lo, and Far East Movement in 2011.
TV appearances
Gabe has also flashed his smile and strutted his stuff on a number of dance competitions
and reality programs, appearing on the 2012 finale of The X Factor, in the 2015 season
of Dance Moms, the ninth season of America's Got Talent, and the third season of Shake
It Up.
He also performed with a group at the Radio Disney Music Awards from 2015 to 2017.
Along with frequent collaborator Kaycee Rice, Gabe has also been featured on The Ellen DeGeneres
Show, charming his way through an interview and performing on the show after both of them
came out on top in a competitive dance challenge.
"It's been a dream of mine to come here ever since I was five years old.
Now that this moment's finally here, it's just so unbelievable."
The New Mouseketeers
Disney's Mickey Mouse Club has been around since 1955, but the institution hasn't been
without its periods of hibernation.
After the last version of the team ended in 1996, a new version of the program—now called
Club Mickey Mouse—premiered in September 2017, with programming delivered via Instagram
and Facebook.
It's been more than twenty years since the last iteration of the Mickey Mouse Club introduced
us to stars like Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling, and it remains to be seen if it'll
do the same for a new generation.
For Gabe De Guzman, though, the outlook is encouraging.
Gabe's long had the talent to make it big—now, with Club Mickey Mouse, he has the platform
to make himself a household name.
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