For most people, Jan. 13 was an ordinary day. Students attended classes and ate lunch as usual, while sports teams and clubs held their typical practices.

For sophomore Alia Wilmont, however, the day was anything but typical. She went to her first dance practice and started the routine, shaking, with, what felt like, millions of eyes on her. Despi

te her fear, she was determined to succeed.

“It’s definitely a big part (of my life), but I like it,” Wilmont said. “It keeps me busy, and I like seeing the girls everyday.”

Wilmont followed her passion of arts by joining the SHS Dance Team, despite her disability, Erb’s palsy. Wilmont is known as a new and rising dancer member, yet, not many see the condition behind her tenacity.

Erb’s palsy is a condition characterized by weakened motion and fragility in one’s arm, which causes pain and discomfort. It is often formed when a nerve is pinched at the neck or shoulder during birth.

When Korrisa Wilmont, Alia’s mother, found out her baby had this condition, she made it her mission to give her child the life she deserved. In her adolescence, Wilmont spent time in physical therapy so her arm wouldn’t limit opportunities.

“She used to work with the therapy department in the children’s hospital, and then I also reached out for the state to give me more services for her because I didn’t want this to be a permanent thing,” Korissa said.

On the outside, this lifestyle may seem challenging to others, but for Wilmont, it is actually pretty simple.

Since sports wasn’t an option due to physical therapy when she was younger, Wilmont found a love in arts, crafts, painting and more, and it stayed with her through her years.

The idea of dance came to her since it was a physical art, and she loved being part of the artistic community.

“I thought about joining last year, but I never ended up doing it,” Wilmont said. “So yeah, just being in the art world already, and then (I) thought it would be cool to join.”

Due to her piqued interest, Wilmont emailed SHS Dance Coach Jessi Walpole in early January and continued until she got an answer. Her personal goal was to now join the team, regardless of how delayed her start would be.

Walpole was impressed from the start of meeting Wilmont due to her early passion and determination to join the team and grow in dance.

“She had contacted me, and I missed her email,” Walpole said. “She contacted me quite a few times, and she’s actually a pretty brave person.”

Wilmont’s mom always saw her as an anxious kid who was scared to try new things, so Wilmont joining dance came as a surprise to her. Korissa encouraged Wilmont to pursue the things she wanted to do since she was young, even if her arm might limit her.

“I was quite surprised just because Alia is very shy,” Korissa said. “But I’ve always encouraged her to do things that she loves, like before dance she was into art and theater. I was very happy.”

Wilmont loved dance from the start and knew it was going to be something she would continue and grow in.

After sitting through a couple of practices and observing, Wilmont was determined to jump in and learn the routine. She quickly caught onto choreography, and Walpole took notice of this too.

“She just jumped into our hip hop routine and started learning stuff, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, you can stay 100%,’ like she picked it up so fast. She was so good,” Walpole said.

With the help of dance, she has found herself using her right arm more. Naturally being left-handed, she typically didn’t use her right hand. However, moving it in dance has given her the benefit of using both arms when doing daily activities.

“Now recently, I’ve been reaching for stuff with my right (arm) and not my left, which is different,” Wilmont said. “I’ve never done that before.”

Even in spite of her early beginning in the world of dance, her determination and skill have been highlighted by many. She gained recognition for trying something new, especially with a disability limiting her arm movement.

“She really inserted herself and found a voice very early,” Walpole said. “It’s like she was never not with us, if that makes sense. She was like a missing piece for us.”

Regardless of her progress, Wilmont continues to dedicate outside time to practicing dance so she can keep up with the team.

“I practiced so I could catch up with them, and it worked, because the second practice, I was doing it, and it was better,” Wilmont said.

She pours a lot into the team, and her confidence has grown in return. Her teammates also admire her willingness to improve.

“She’s always asking questions, making sure she’s doing stuff right,” senior Arilynn Hutcherson said. “She puts in the effort to do better.”

Walpole says that Wilmont is an extremely brave and talented individual, who doesn’t let her condition limit her. Wilmont hopes her story will inspire and encourage others.

“Even if you have something that stops you from doing something, (for example), if you have a condition or something that makes things harder for you, you can still do it and be good at it and have fun with it,” Wilmont said.