學無止境的Tango舞后 劉美瑞
劉美瑞是台大外文系1961年之學生,當年就和外文系同學創辦了一份英文雜誌「The Pioneer」,美瑞就是四位創辦人之一。當時的創辦人有劉紹銘(時任社長)、王衍衡、劉美瑞、李歐芃。這份英文雜誌創辦至今(2019年)仍在發行,已延續了61年,多麼了不起的傳承。而現任「英千里獎學金基金會」之董事高天恩,在當年學生時代也都擔任過編輯。
美瑞在台大外文系時,曾在一家無線電視台擔任音樂DJ,但一直保守秘密,不為人知,直到要畢業了才告訴別人。台大畢業後擔任空姐,爾後又前往舊金山進修獲得教育博士學位,並擔任學校校長。
重獲失落的戒指
美瑞亦具有特異功能,有二段小故事足以證明此不可思議的功能:
有一次鄔達程回到家中,突然發現手上大鑽戒不見了,連忙隔海打電話給美瑞,她微一遲疑就説還在銀行保險櫃房間的地板上。逹程深信美瑞的功夫第二天一大早就到銀行,果然在保險櫃房間內牆角地上找到她的戒子。
西珍曾聽説過這故事,三年後在舊金山聚會同桌吃飯時,就問美瑞她的一付鑚石耳環也找不到了,美瑞稍一思索,就拿起桌上的餐巾紙,畫了一個洗手間梳妝台的草圖;可是西珍之後回到臺北家中,一直沒找到耳環。也幸好沒丟掉那張草圖,過了兩年,家中大掃除時果然在梳妝台最下角深處,找到了那付耳環。也因此鄔達程、劉西珍成為美瑞特異功能之最大見證人。
學習TANGO的歷程
Argentine Tango - Prior
to dancing Argentine Tango, I had learned International Ballroom and Latin and
danced for twenty years. I went through medal tests and did not compete. I went
through medal tests which included bronze, silver, gold and student/teacher
certificate. My teacher was Rhona Pick who opened Pick School of Ballroom Dance
in S.F. and 60 years ago represented United States and competed in Black Pool,
England.
I switched from
ballroom dancing to Argentine Tango dancing in 2012. In 2012, there was a
World-Wide Dance Competition when each country sent a couple to dance the
country's specific dance. Argentine
Tango ranked one among the world-wide countries competition. Miriam and Leonardo who performed a very
romantic and smooth Argentine Tango. I have been to Buenos Aires, Argentine for
12 times. In fact, I am going to Buenos
Aires on May 7th and will return on May 15th. My purpose will be "Dance,
dance and dance!". In Argentina, it is very common to hire a taxi-dancer
i.e. someone who is a good tango dancer, a performer or a professional and
he/she will dance with you with a set price. In the past six years, I have
danced with four taxi-dancer i.e. Martin is now the only Argentine Tango
teacher in Saigon or Ho Chi Ming City, Vietnam; Fernando is now teaching Tango
in Rome, Italy; Damain Manchura competed at the Argentine Annual Mundial Tango
Competition and has been a Master Teacher teaching around the world. The fourth
taxi-dancer, Rodrigious lives in Mal Del Plata, 4 hours by driving from Buenos
Aires.
Starting from tomorrow,
April 18th till 21st, there will be a big Tango Festival sponsored by Andrea
Monti, an Argentine Tango Master Teacher. I will be dancing from 10:30 a.m.
till 7 p.m. Dinner break is two hours. Then,
I will dance from 9 p.m. till 2 a.m. Si, I will be dancing a total of 13-l/2
hours daily for four days. There will be
another Tango Festival which also will last for 3 days and 4 nights. Tango
dancers dance in the City, in the Country and around the World. Last year I was in London, Vietnam, Shanghai,
Buenos Aires, and Mexico.
The YouTube
clips was a unofficial competition held in Las Vegas in 2017. I have to admit that I am a 100%
book-worm. When I go to Tango workshops,
I usually take workshop from 10:30 a.m. till 7 p.m. daily. I also dance at
night time. And I was a professional D.J. when I was attending Tai Da. I worked with USIS and was producing classic
and semi-classic musical programs throughout Taiwan and South-east Asia. I also
produced "Jenny's time". Jenny
was receiving 80 proposals weekly and I am glad my school-mates did not know
Jenny was Marie. I did not want to get
popular, however, I love music. I
enjoyed my D.J.'s job!
有朋自遠方來 不亦樂乎
(左起) 趙蘭潤、PW , 外文系 李欣穎主任、趙明潤 、劉美瑞 ( 外文系低我們一班)、蘭潤同學
( 左起 ) 李女士、趙明潤、王華燕、趙蘭潤、劉美瑞
一段段的回憶描述了劉美瑞學無止境及多采多姿的人生。
番外篇:了不起的祖父歷史
伍連德(美瑞祖父)在清末民初,消滅東北鼠疫。曾被提名諾貝爾醫療奬,雖未得到。但可是中國最早的第一件諾貝爾獎案例。1910年1 0月至1911年4月中國東北發生鼠疫( 黑死病),正是世界第三次鼠疫病例的高峰,中國是重災區之一。這次鼠疫始自黑龍江省的滿洲裡迅速蔓延到哈爾濱、長期春、瀋陽、以及東北的大部分州、縣,進而侵入關內,波及直隸、山東 等地方。伍連德醫師1908年應邀岀任天津陸軍軍醫堂副總監,1910 年被派前往東北,負責樸㓕鼠疫工作。1910年10月12日 邊境城市滿洲裡發現第一起病例,很快就在東北蔓延開來,造成極大的恐慌,當地居民四散奔逃。在哈爾濱某一小區,在冬季短短的一個月內就死亡五丶六百人之多。每日受感染者超過100 人之多。造成社會極大恐慌。清朝政府東三省總督錫良急電清政府 緊急派員協助防疫,伍連德博士臨危受命,被派往東北主持其事。不久之後經過解剖發現、此疫在東北還是聞所未聞。在伍連德的領導下:斷然要求地方政府棌取許多新式防疫措施,斷絕交通, 隔離疫區、火化疫屍 等等 積極措施。歷經數月 疫情終於得到控制後,逐漸消失。 據官方統計,此次鼠疫共死亡六萬多人死亡。
伍連德先生,原為南洋華僑,1879 年3月生日於馬來西亞,梹榔嶼,1905 年赴英國劍橋大學
獲得醫學博士, 返回後1908年應邀出任天津陸軍軍醫堂副總監,1910年赴東北樸滅鼠疫。伍連德是中華醫學會的創始人,1926 年出任哈爾濱醫學堂第一任校長,1930年受命組成全國海港檢疫處兼任上海檢疫所長。以後一直在東北主持防疫工作。年老退休後返回 馬來西亞,行醫多年 ,在故鄉終老過逝。(資料來源: 侯杰著大公報與中國近代社會一 書,南開大學出版社)。
此外,美瑞家族在北京持有很多房產,其中一幢大廈一度成為某一航空公司辦公室,多年以后,美瑞説服了家人,把北京的這幢家產房屋,捐赠给了北京市政府,後來成為了一個紀念舘。