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First Posted: 10/20/2014 Gabrielle Sabatini&#8217;s first cover girl photo isn&#8217;t exactly what she had in mind.
A model student and a model daughter, her modeling skills are now gracing the back cover of this year&#8217;s Spirit Halloween catalogue with an image of her donning a Walking Dead costume, complete with a pink robe, bunny slippers, a bloody mouth and scary gash on her forehead. She is also featured on displays within Spirit Halloween&#8217;s 1100 seasonal retail stores throughout Pennsylvania.
All three roles seem to come easily for the 12-year-old, a seventh-grade student at the Dallas Middle School.
&#8220;When I got called in for the audition, I thought maybe I would end up on one of the inside pages,&#8221; said Gabrielle. &#8220;I was so excited to be on the cover.&#8221;
Not a stranger to success as an entertainer, Gabrielle has received 110 trophies for dance.
Chris Sabatini, Gabrielle&#8217;s mother, said her daughter enjoys modelling not only because it allows her to participate in photo shoots and get a variety of pictures taken, but also because she learns all aspects of the industry, from makeup application to hair styling. She often has questions for the photographers.
In addition to modeling, which she has done for several years, Gabrielle has taken dance lessons with Back Mountain Dancers for 10 years, is a member of student council and is consistently listed on the honor roll at school. She enjoys basketball, softball and playing the piano.
She also volunteers at Blue Chip Animal Rescue, her love for animals making it easy for her to do anything asked of her.
&#8220;She is very well rounded,&#8221; said Chris. &#8220;We were talking about what she might like to be when she grows up and she said she wanted to major in either drama or math.&#8221;
Gabrielle would like to someday work on Broadway. Her father, Bob, and mother encourage her to shoot for her dreams.
Her diversity of interests and abilities make it likely that she will someday be as comfortable behind the scenes as she is in front of the camera.
She will also be appearing in a program book for Talent Explosion in Harrisburg, as a result of having won &#8220;Miss Photogenic&#8221; during her last dance competition.
Gabrielle&#8217;s unique talents and interests have afforded her the chance to travel to Disney World this November to perform with DM Performance Works, a non-profit organization, where she will dance on the park&#8217;s &#8220;Main Street&#8221; with other dancers from the area.
Her opportunities have not come without a lot of hard work, though. In addition to school work, sporting practices and auditions, she has dance practice four days a week, sometimes including Sunday.
Gabrielle&#8217;s sense of diversity extends to the dance floor. Although her favorite style of dance is tap, she brings equal enthusiasm to jazz, lyrical and specialty dance. She enjoys wearing a wide variety of costumes when dancing, from trendy to sophisticated. Her presentation is always completed with a bright smile.
Gabrielle&#8217;s friends are especially excited that she is modelling a Walking Dead costume. The show, broadcast on Sunday night, is among the season&#8217;s &#8220;hot picks&#8221; and is certain to be very popular among trick-or-treaters donning scary costumes.
Gabrielle, though, thinks she will go with glamour and glitter for her own costume choice this Halloween. Although she certainly &#8220;rocks&#8221; the scary look, she is looking forward to choosing among her many beautiful dance costumes for the fall holiday.
And, although she thoroughly enjoys entertaining and the little bit of fame her talent provides, she also enjoys time spent with her family, including brother Jonathan, a senior at Dallas High school, whether it be at the beach or at home in Dallas.

Dallas girl graces cover of Spirit Halloween catalog