Gillian was only seven years old, but her future was already in jeopardy. Her school performance was simply disgusting. Gillian was late on assignments, her handwriting was terrible and her test results were dismal.
In addition, the girl distracted the whole class from classes: she fidgeted noisily in place, then looked out the window, forcing the teacher to interrupt the lesson in order to attract her attention again, then interfered with the children sitting around her with her antics.
Gillian was not particularly worried about all this: she was used to adults making comments to her, and really did not consider herself a difficult child - but the teachers were worried. The situation reached its climax when the school's management wrote a letter to her parents.
The teachers believed that Gillian had learning disabilities and that it might be better for her to go to a school for children with disabilities. All this took place in the early 1930s. I think today they would consider that she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and put her on psychotropic drugs.
However, in those days this term had not yet been invented. ADHD should not be cited whenever possible.
Gillian's parents, having received the letter from the school, were very worried and immediately took action. Gillian's mother dressed her daughter in the best dress and shoes, gathered her hair in neat ponytails and brought her to a psychologist, fearing the worst.
Gillian told me that she remembers being invited into a large oak-paneled room with leather-bound books on the shelves. In the room, next to a large writing desk, stood a respectable man in a tweed jacket. He led Gillian to the far end of the room and sat her down on a huge leather sofa. Gillian's feet did not reach the floor, the surroundings were alarming. She was nervous about the impression she would make, so she sat in her arms so as not to fidget.
The psychologist returned to his desk and, over the next twenty minutes, questioned Gillian's mother about her daughter's difficulties in school and about the problems the teachers said the girl was causing. Without asking a single question to Gillian herself, he watched her closely all the time. Because of this, Gillian felt extremely awkward and embarrassed. Even at such a tender age, she understood that this person would play a significant role in her life. She knew what it meant to attend a special school, and she didn't want to have anything to do with that school. She really didn't think she had any real problems, but everyone else seemed to be thinking the other way around. Judging by the way her mother answered the questions, it is possible that even she thought so.
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Who knows, maybe they're right, Gillian mused as she sat on the couch.
Finally, Gillian's mother and the psychologist finished talking. The man got up from the table, walked over to the sofa and sat down next to the girl.
“Gillian, you were very patient, thank you for that,” he said. - But be patient a little longer. Now I need to talk to your mom in private. We'll be out for a few minutes. Don't worry, it won't be long.
Gillian nodded apprehensively, and the two adults left her alone in the room. However, leaving, the psychologist, leaning over the table, suddenly turned on the radio.
As soon as they left the room and into the hallway, the doctor said to Gillian's mother:
“Wait here a minute and see what she's doing.
There was a window in the wall through which one could see what was happening in the room. The adults were standing so that Gillian could not see them. Almost immediately, the girl jumped to her feet and began to move around the room in time to the music. The two adults watched the girl for several minutes in silence, struck by her natural, almost primal grace.
Finally the psychologist turned to Gillian's mother and said, “You know, Mrs Lynn, Gillian is not sick. She is a dancer. Take her to dance school."
I asked Gillian what happened next. She replied that the mother followed the advice of a specialist.
“I can't tell you how wonderful it was,” she told me. - I went into a room full of people like me. People who could not sit still for a long time. People who needed to move in order to think.
She started going to dance school once a week and practicing at home every day. She eventually enrolled at the Royal Ballet School in London. Gillian then joined the Royal Ballet Company, became a soloist and toured the world with performances. When this stage of her career ended, the young woman set up her own musical studio and directed a number of highly successful shows in London and New York. Then she met Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, in collaboration with whom the famous musicals "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera" were created, which received fantastic acclaim and had tremendous success.
Little Gillian, a girl whose future was in jeopardy, became world famous as Gillian Lynn - one of the most famous choreographers of our time, having given pleasure to millions of people. It happened because someone looked deeply into her eyes. Someone sensitive and attentive, who had already seen such children before and knew how to read the signs of hidden talent. Someone else could have forced her to take medication and told her to calm down.
But Gillian was not a problem child. There was no need to send her to a special school.
She just needed help to become who she really was.
Ken Robinson "The Calling"