A Liverpool dancer’s professional career is back on track after a ‘miracle’ recovery. Thanks to the help of a top physiotherapist, Laura Macy Watson is back on track to work in L.A after splitting her knee cap in half and now hopes to inspire others and increase arts opportunities in Liverpool.
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After graduating from Liverpool’s Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), the sky was the limit for Laura, who had trained in various dancing styles since the age of just fourteen. Despite graduating during Covid, Laura’s career was bolstering — working with LA’s Bob’s Dance Shop, who also work with Paula Abdul and Jennifer Lopez, and performing at movie premieres and flash mobs.
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Laura explained: “Due to Covid, I didn’t work professionally for another year after all that. In January 2022 I received a message from Bob’s inviting me out to LA to perform again and I was so excited to receive the opportunity. I knew that I wanted to try something different so I flew out there for a month in April 2022. I instantly fell in love with it. I knew I wanted to be in LA for as long as possible.”
After flying back home to Liverpool, Laura struggled to find work locally due to arts funding cuts by Liverpool City Council. She said: “I directed some local content getting local dancers and musicians together. After directing my first video, Bob’s invited me to LA for a second time to direct a video for them. It felt amazing for my hard work to be finally validated, I felt like it had paid off.”
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Laura worked with Bob’s Dance Shop to direct the LA video, this time with the help of a full-scale production team, drones and a camera crew. She added: “It was so professional, I made such a supportive network of fellow creative people. I realised that I wanted to move to LA permanently and set about getting my VISA as quickly as possible.”
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It was whilst she was waiting for her VISA that Laura’s dreams were suddenly put to a gut-wrenching standstill. During an audition, she fell onto her knee cap and split it in half, an injury that would be detrimental to her dancing career.
Determined to get better, Laura consulted a local charity, The Dance Again Foundation, that supports injured dancers. The charity supported her through her recovery, signposting her to places where she could receive medical advice and financial support.
Laura explained: “I was told by the doctors that I’d never be able to dance again. It was so devastating to hear and I was so worried that all of my career progress would be for nothing. I just remember thinking that I’ve got to make this work. I couldn’t work, walk or drive and to someone who’s self-employed, that’s a really scary thought.”
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Thanks to the ‘miraculous’ work of physiotherapist Raymond Healy, perseverance and the determination to dance again, Laura made an incredible full recovery in just ten weeks and even successfully gained a role performing at the Eurovision Contest 2023, something she was previously told would be impossible due to her knee injury.
“I’d been given the all clear – but I auditioned with my brace on!” Laura said. “It felt incredible to finally have a dancing role after being injured for so long! My physiotherapist was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t thank him enough, he really knew how important it was for me to get back on my feet.”
She continued: “He was obsessed with the fact that I was auditioning for Eurovision — he even began ballroom dancing lessons with his wife after seeing me! It was so reassuring to have someone constant whilst I was recovering.”
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Now that she is back on track to get her VISA, Laura is eager to share her story and passion for dancing with the world, from Liverpool to LA. She’s also keen to increase work opportunities in Merseyside for aspiring performers and dancers, having directed a flash mob at Liverpool Lime Street that features local dancers of all ages and abilities.
“There’s an amazing hub of creativity in Liverpool” she said: “It’s a goal of mine to increase opportunities here despite the cuts in arts funding, there’s so many talented performers in the area. If anyone is going through something similar, just know that you’re not alone. Your career is priceless and there is help out there to help you get back on your feet!“
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A Liverpool dancer’s professional career is back on track after a ‘miracle’ recovery. Thanks to the help of a top physiotherapist, Laura Macy Watson is back on track to work in L.A after splitting her knee cap in half and now hopes to inspire others and increase arts opportunities in Liverpool.
