Watching the video for Britney Spears’ “Circus” two nights ago, I was reminded of an old friend, Gabriel Paige, who’d relocated to L.A. many years ago to make it as a dancer.

We attended the same high school many years before that, where Gabe was a year behind me in my brother’s class. Because we ran in some of the same circles (Student Council, Drama Club), we shared some good times, a lot of laughs, and a little friendship.

Gabe loved to dance. He choreographed a kick-ass routine to Snap!’s “The Power” for a school talent show, and although the sound guy (me) cued the tape incorrectly, necessitating a re-start, he still brought the house down. Later, we spent a couple of summers working at the same fast-food outlet, a crappy job made better because many of our friends did too. His energy was infectious.

Gabe, my brother, and another of their classmates followed to the same college I attended, and I recall spending Sunday nights together, watching the first season of The Real World over pizza and attempting to phone up cast member Eric Nies in New York. And laughing a lot. It’s also during this time that Gabe’s passion for dancing really flourished. He joined a campus troupe and began regularly choreographing routines with friends.

We lost touch after that year, though we ran into each other a handful of times before I graduated. I also saw him up on the big screen as a extra in Natural Born Killers, filmed near our hometown during summer break. After graduation, I’d occasionally hear some snippet of news about Gabe from my brother or a friend of ours. That’s how I got news that he’d moved to Los Angeles, auditioned for Janet Jackson’s tour, and landed gig as a backup dancer with Britney Spears. (I wouldn’t see him in HBO’s Britney Spears: Live In Las Vegas concert special until a couple of years later, but I was still so proud of him. He was living his dream.)

I took notice (and jabbed my fellow film-going friends) when Gabe — Gabe Paige, who I’d gone to school with! — was dancing with Ms. Spears on the big screen in the opening scene to Austin Powers in Goldmember. He also notched screen time in several of Spears’ videos, plus Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Starsky & Hutch, and the 75th Annual Academy Awards. Just two years ago, I was jolted in my seat, recognizing Gabe as one of the dancers in Dreamgirls‘ “One Night Only” disco sequence. It was good to see him doing what he loved yet again.

So because of Gabe’s earlier affiliation with Britney Spears, seeing her “Circus” video triggered a Google search for him. I wanted to see what he was up to, what other projects he’d added to his resume. But I just wasn’t prepared for this news: Gabe had passed away in July.

Life spins us in all sorts of directions — new job, new city, new friends. Sometimes those that had been our closest friends drift furthest from us. We try to hold on, we try our very best, but the divide grows larger and larger still, until the tenuous connection finally loses grip. And while Gabe and I didn’t share a strong friendship, knowing he’s no longer with us, while not knowing what happened, and hearing six months later, well… it’s a lot to process.

Gabriel Paige was a bright beacon of light. He was both human and dancer, and yet moved to his own beat. If you knew him, if you ever heard Gabe’s laugh or saw his wide smile, your life is miles better for having crossed his path. As evidenced by this tribute on YouTube (and this one), his life touched many. I can’t help thinking that if he’d been born a bit later, millions would have seen Gabe Paige own the stage on So You Think You Can Dance.

Another Snap! song, “Rhythm Is A Dancer,” reminds me most of Gabe. It was a favorite of his during his freshman year of college, and no wonder. Its lyrics could have stood as his life’s credo:

“Rhythm is a dancer
It’s a soul’s companion
You can feel it everywhere
Lift your hands and voices
Free your mind and join us
You can feel it in the air
Ooh, it’s a passion
Ooh, you can feel it in the air
Ooh, It’s a passion!”

Regrettably, I was unaware of a local memorial service for Gabe, as were many of us who knew him way back when. So for those who missed the chance to say goodbye (and to those reading this lengthy remembrance, thank you), I’m dedicating “Rhythm Is A Dancer” to him.

Gabe, you found a way to rise above and share your passion with so many. Thanks for the good times and many laughs. May your spirit dance on, always and forever.

“Rhythm Is A Dancer” reached reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 2, 1993, capping a climb that began in September of the previous year. Snap! remained in the top ten with the song for another month.