Brave eight-year-old girl performs first solo dance after losing her leg

Alissa Sizemore lost her leg at the age of seven when a lorry ran over her foot

Alissa performed her first solo dance in her home town of Vernal (Heather Sizemore/YouTube)

An eight-year-old girl who lost her leg following an accident last year has overcome adversity to perform her first solo dance.

Alissa Sizemore, who has attended dance lessons from the age of four, had to have her leg amputated below the knee after a lorry ran over her foot when she was just seven.

But she refused to let that end her love of dancing.

“Dancing has been my favourite thing since I was 4. I don't have part of my leg, but I can't let that stop me. I still want to dance,” Alissa told People.

The brave girl performed in the gymnasium of the high school in Vernal, Utah, where she lives with her mother and siblings.

Proud mother Heather, who uploaded the video of the dance to YouTube, said: “She wasn't going to let anybody hold her back.”

The performance, which was accompanied by Colbie Caillat's hit Try, won a standing ovation from the audience.

Following the horrific accident Alissa was immediately flown to a children’s medical centre in Salt City, but doctors were unable to save her leg.

Alissa continued to practise simple dance moves while she relied on a wheelchair and crutches, as her family’s insurance did not cover the full cost of a prosthetic leg.

In response, the community of Vernal banded together to raise funds to pay for Alissa’s treatment and she was fitted with a prosthetic leg in September last year.

Halfway through her routine the video shows Alissa removing her leg to loud cheers and continuing her dance - proving she is a talented dancer with or without her prosthesis.