As the 2015 Miss Mississippi pageant happens in Vicksburg this week, a lesser known program is going on alongside it — a pageant which Addison Crippen, 7, of Columbus is getting to know well.
The rising second grader at New Hope Elementary is a Magnolia Princess at this year’s pageant. It is a mentoring program specifically for children ages 7-10 who are interested in one day becoming involved with the Miss Mississippi pageant. The program lets Miss Mississippi contestants mentor the children during the week-long competition.
Addison, though, is being mentored by Jasmine Murray, the 2014 Miss Mississippi who is from Columbus.
Addison became interested in the pageant because her grandmother works at Dana’s Petals and Lace, a dress shop in Amory that is a wardrobe sponsor of Miss Mississippi. Murray met Addison when she visited the dress shop.
Now she is mentoring Addison during the 2015 pageant.
“(I) wanted to be Jasmine’s princess,” Addison told The Dispatch in a phone interview this week.
While Addison has an athletic side — she likes softball, gymnastics and cheerleading — she also has a passion for pageants. She eventually wants to be in the Miss America pageant one day, according to her mother, Jennifer Crippen. Being a Magnolia Princess, Jennifer said, allows Addison to see what beauty pageants are like.
“We wanted her to see how much work goes into it,” Jennifer said.
The children in the Prince/Princess program arrived Saturday in Vicksburg, where they were crowned by their mentors at the Princess Crowning, according to Jennifer. Practices for dances they would perform began Sunday. Addison’s first performance was Wednesday. She will perform on television Saturday, the final night of the pageant when Miss Mississippi 2015 will be crowned.
Addison had to learn three dances for the program, and has spent two months practicing them. It has not always been easy for Addison, who is more familiar with gymnastics and cheer than she is dance. Her parents arranged for a choreographer from Amory to help.
“We had to go through so much to get her to love dancing and now that’s her favorite part,” Jennifer said.
The dance Addison has had the hardest time with, according to her mother, is the dance to “Uptown Funk,” which involves a combination of jazz and hip hop. But Addison also has been spending time with Murray. The two rode in the Miss Mississippi parade and attended an Autograph Party, Addison said.
Children in the Prince/Princess Program also go with their mentors when their mentors make local appearances. Addison will also get to go onstage with Murray during her farewell, and she will present Murray a rose.
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