On Sunday Feb 8, Puerto Rican-born musician Bad Bunny took the stage at Super Bowl LX,  with an estimated 128.2 million viewers in the U.S., according to Nielsen. The performance itself was historic, calling Latine celebrities, performers, and musicians from across the country. One such dancer was Gabriela Ebel, who was raised in Brownsville. Ebel was one of the Salsa performers during Lady Gaga’s salsa rendition of ‘Die With A Smile’, but this moment didn’t happen overnight.

Brownsville Beginnings

Ebel started out dancing right here in the RGV. She was a member of the Hannah High School Strutters for all four years of high school and served as captain for two of those years. While growing up in Brownsville, she also danced at the dance studio Dance Infinity, citing two teachers there, Miss Diana and Miss Carrie, as well as Vanessa Escamilla from her time at Strutters, as “really influential in [her] dance upbringing.”

She eventually followed her dreams to LA after studying at UT Austin. 

“When I graduated from college, I was like you know what, I just want to dance, and if I don’t try or […] see what’s out there for me now, maybe it might not happen,” Ebel shared. “I moved out to LA in 2017, and I’ve been here since then, just training, figuring out everything of the entertainment industry.”

From Brownsville con Amor (y Sazon)

Like many young creatives, Ebel followed her heart and her dreams to LA, but had no real, tangible knowledge of the industry or connections. It was more than just her drive, her passion, and her love for dance that kept her going; it was the continued support she received from everyone around her, especially her family. 

“I’m just so grateful that I’ve had so much support even from back home[.] Leaving your family to pursue something that’s not very common [is definitely] a difficult path, you know, figuring things out as they go, as they come.” Ebel said, smiling fondly as she remembered talking to her mom on the phone earlier that day about everything it took for her to get to where she is now. 

“I love that I’m getting so much feedback and positive response, especially from the Valley,” Ebel said. “Especially now, like I’ve been working in the industry, training and [going] to auditions for a while now, and I’ve done other gigs and other big jobs, but this one [the Super Bowl] it really aligned so perfectly.”

The Road to the Super Bowl

Ebel was back in Texas for a family wedding when she received an email about an audition for an unspecified project seeking Latine dancers. 

“The wedding was on Saturday [and the] audition was on Tuesday in LA,” Ebel recalled. “And auditions usually are very vague. It won’t say like Super Bowl, Bad Bunny, [or] anything.” 

Even though she hadn’t seen the event listed, Ebel had been hearing rumblings through the grapevine that this call was going to be for the Super Bowl.

“It was not confirmed, but I was like, you know what? I need to be there!” 

And be there she was, along with many other hopefuls from around the country. Ebel danced her way through three different rounds of auditions, before being told at her final one that she would either hear from them if she got in or not at all.

“I left with [high] hopes, but also just you never know the factors that are going into this, how many people they need, what looks they’re going for, you know, there were so many talented dancers there,” Ebel remembered. 

She let that hope carry her through the holidays and into 2026. It was in the new year that she got the official email letting her know she was booked for the Super Bowl.

Salsa with Gaga at The Benito Bowl

For three weeks, Ebel trained and rehearsed, preparing for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. And while it was a job in the technical sense, to Ebel it was so much more than that. 

She shared that this was a moment for so many people, especially for families like her mother’s, “I mean, my mom’s family as well, they moved from Mexico to Texas years ago for better opportunities, for better work.” 

Ebel shared that she hoped her energy and her intention in the show conveyed how important she felt this moment was. 

“Like [it was] such an honor to be part of that message,” Ebel said. “This is not just a moment for me, it’s a moment for my family, it’s a moment for everybody.”