miss lake mcconaughy | Anchor's Away

If you saw the title of this post, and immediately thought of this…

..then YOU. ARE. AWESOME.

Labyrinth. CLASSIC. And yet again, the Miss Nebraska contestants reading this post are probably thinking, ‘what the….’ because it came out in 1986.

Ladies, find it on Netflix. DEFINITELY worth it.

ANYWAY… Magic Dance is one of the songs in the movie. And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is about all I’ve got for you when it comes to dance. Unless you want to check out my post regarding the 10 best moments of So You Think You Can Dance. I CANNOT dance. I can do many things; dancing is not among them. It truly looks like something is medically wrong with me when I try. So, I am in complete awe of people who CAN dance, like the young lady you are about to meet.

Miss Lake McConaughy, Chrissy Townsend

“I have been dancing since the age of 3 so being able to showcase my love for something I’ve been doing for so long is wonderful,” Chrissy told me recently. “Capturing an audience with just the movement of your body is such a great form of expression.”

Chrissy just completed her final year as a member of the University of Nebraska-Omaha dance team, which finished in the top 5 in the National Dance Alliance championships.

Click here to see video of the UNO Dance Team performing.

Chrissy’s time as a Maverick also introduced her to the Make-A-Wish foundation, inspiring her personal platform of service as Miss Lake McConaughy: ‘Be The Change, Make-A-Wish’.

“I have been involved with Make-A-Wish for four years now and it really has changed my life,” said Chrissy. “It all started out with my sorority when I joined Chi Omega and since then my love for it has continued to grow. I have the opportunity to meet Wish families and get to know them on a personal level which makes volunteering with them so great.”

It’s kids like these that make being a titleholder so special for Chrissy.

“My absolute favorite part is being a role model for the younger generation,” said Chrissy. “Both boys and girls really look up to you and admire the things that you do in your daily lives so being able to be a positive influence on them makes it all worthwhile.”

Not so long ago, Chrissy was looking up to Miss Nebraska contestants, as a participant in the Miss Nebraska’s Outstanding Teen program.

“It was a really great way to prepare for the transition to the Miss division,” said Chrissy. “I also really value the fact that it provides such great scholarships. College has been so rewarding the past four years and having the money to help pay back my student loans is so nice.”

Chrissy not only thinks Lifestyle and Fitness (aka the swimsuit competition) should be part of the program, she calls it great!

“These incredible women do so many different things throughout their lives and should be commended for being able to stay so busy and still have time to live an active lifestyle,” said Chrissy. “We live in an age that being healthy and active isn’t valued. I think the swimsuit portion of the competition showcases and brings light and hope to those who are trying to better themselves.”

CHARISMATIC, QUIRKY, HAPPY

“Anyone who talks to me will notice that I talk with my hands a lot,” said Chrissy. “This means I’m overly excited about anything and everything that I get to talk about. What I’m getting at is that I am always really excited to be so animated in person.”

Maybe that’s the secret to being such a phenomenal dancer–being so excited about life you just can’t contain it inside your body.

I found this quote about dance:

‘Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor.’ –H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Fitting, because here’s what Chrissy says about Miss Nebraska:

“It is all about empowering women and providing them with so many opportunities both personally and professionally. I urge people to see the bigger picture. It is way more than pretty girls with sparkles and makeup. These ladies are the future and they do everything and anything they can to make a difference and we need more people in the world today like that.”

Kind of like dancers.. behind the amazing costumes and stage makeup are gifted artists who tell stories through movement and music.

Miss Lake McConaughy is bringing her Magic Dance to Miss Nebraska. And Chrissy, if you need some awesome music to get even MORE excited, the Labyrinth soundtrack is great 🙂