Alaina Reese Gay recounts her time as GA Belle

Jun. 21—THOMASVILLE- Little Miss Thomasville "People's Choice Award" winner Alaina Reese Gay and Georgia Belle to Savannah Taylor recently had the opportunity to travel with Taylor and her sister Evelyn to the Miss Georgia Pageant in Columbus.

According to Gay, the Georgia Belles program is designed to be a mentorship program that includes the princesses into the program so they can understand what the Miss Georgia pageant is about, including the many fun activities such as dancing, performing, evening wear, and embracing relationships with new and current applicants.

Savannah allowed both Gay and Evelyn to experience this exciting time with her, as it was not only Savannah's first time competing in Miss Georgia, but the first time a Miss Thomasville pageant winner has gone onto the Miss Georgia Pageant in more than 19 years.

The time spent at the Miss Georgia pageant wasn't lost on Gay, who shared her experience with us in a recent interview.

Gay said her favorite part of the Miss Georgia pageant was performing as a dancer.

"I love to learn new dances," she said. "I usually perform ballet, tap, and gymnastics. However, this year was a little different because I was able to dance and was able to perform without practice before the rehearsal, as I am used to a ballet count and this incorporated a little free style and some hip hop and jazz."

Gay said she was able to pick up the dance easily on the first day of practice, and practiced several times with her mom in her hotel room.

"I asked her several times to watch me and let me use her phone to practice to the Youtube video of our performance," she said.

Gay's mom, Rachel, was a huge help, she said.

Rachel was able to show Alaina the counts and how to pick back up a move, even if she lost her place in the dance.

Gay said this was especially helpful as the beat was different than what she learned in ballet.

"They taught us a different count and rhythm, but I loved having to perform to a different beat and I still love to dance to the beat," she said.

More than anything, Gay said she loved seeing her mentor Savannah each night.

"She was super nice to give me gifts," Gay said. "We also liked to give her a few things along the way... Encouragement is always exciting, no matter how it's presented."

Gay explained that it is a longstanding tradition for the Miss and Teen Miss Georgia contestants to give gifts after rehearsals and nightly performances.

Getting to be a part of the Gamma group with Savannah, Gay got to partake in a fun pajama party with all the Belles, Miss, and Teen Miss Georgia contestants.

"Everyone had on matching pajamas," Gay said. "I loved that my name was on my pajamas and had slippers, socks, and a fun sleep mask. We played games and had food and candy."

The following morning, Gay would participate in a rehearsal lasting 2-3 hours, before getting her hair and makeup done by Teresa Glacier Anderson for the final two nights of the pageant.

On the final nights of the pageant, Gay said she was required to wear a white dress, before changing to wear a different formal gown for the red carpet event.

Once in her gown, Gay said she loved watching the contestants sing, dance, and see their talent.

"Everyone seemed to be talented in different ways," she recalled.

Overall, Gay said she would love to be a Belle again and be included in the Miss and Teen Miss Georgia Pageant, as she got to learn and experience many different things.