2022紀念-馬歇爾

版權所有：財團法人臺北市蔡瑞月文化基金會

        昨天下午下了一場暴風雪。一如每個周日，我正看著足球賽。克里芙蘭隊沒有進入NFL季後賽，所以我沒有真正注意。我看了我的email，有一則來自紐約Clark Center的Jill Williams 的訊息。我就是這樣收到Martial過世的消息。

我非常震驚，思緒一下飛回到2008年10月的桃園機場的入境大廳。那是我第一次遇見這位迷人的海地美國人，他是Eleo Pomare派來和我的舞蹈團一起工作，準備重建Pomare最重要的舞蹈作品。他擁有黝黑的皮膚和明亮的雙眼，但卻很緊張。他穿著過於厚重的黑夾克，帶著五個行李箱，準備了所有的東西，以至於看上去像要搬到台灣來一樣。

他最近一次拜訪是在2019年。我姊和我在同樣一個機場見到Martial。他穿著一件隨興的短袖海地襯衫，只帶著一件小行李和背著一個背包。經過這麼多次來訪，他已經知道他需要什麼，他帶著放鬆的笑容—每次都有酒窩，就彷彿台灣是他的家一般。

我和Martial合作超過十年了，我知道他畢業自茱麗亞，在百老匯跳舞，也替許多紐約頂尖舞團跳舞，他在美國、加拿大、墨西哥、歐洲、澳洲和日本教舞。他在世界舞蹈界是一名要角。

但我個人最景仰的反而是他個人的故事。

Martial的母親、哥哥和他在1960年代逃離殘暴的海地，移民到紐約布魯克林。幾年後，母親過世，他被一個猶太家庭收養，因此他總是帶著大衛之星項鍊，即便他是一個基督徒。

幾年前我打給他，祝賀他感恩節快樂。他告訴我，他的兒子兩天前過世了，接著是一陣長長的沉默。

版權所有：財團法人臺北市蔡瑞月文化基金會

        我記得他脖子和胸膛上許多傷疤，是他在靠近紐約地鐵的地方被攻擊。他被照護了好幾個禮拜幾乎無法復原。五年後Martial 找到那位攻擊他的人。

Eleo Pomare舞團經理Glenn Conner曾說，Martial的人生非常艱困。但也可能是因為這樣的生活經歷，讓他變成了一位如此獨特的藝術家。他有足夠的敏感度去理解並呈現Eleo經典舞作中社會議題和人權。

在和我舞團的舞者合作之前，Martial 總是先確認舞者們知道誰是Eleo，為什麼他在現代舞歷史中如此重要，以及舞作的背景。他解釋表演的音樂及服裝，並要求舞者們要做研究。在舞者們了解了作品的背景，Martial 就給予舞者們空間自由地詮釋舞蹈作品。

我的舞者們都很愛Martial。一旦你見到他，你就能感受到他的存在感，你也會永遠記得他。更重要的是，他幫助舞者們成長，成為一位藝術家，他們從Martial的指導中獲益，在藝術呈現上更為「Pomare」。

早先幾年，當我們帶Martial去機場準備離開台灣，我們總是相擁而泣，依依不捨的說再見。最近幾年，淚水少了一些，因為知道我們很快會再見面。現在我們最親愛、最親愛的朋友Martial，曾似”候鳥”，如今不再回來了。

Martial, 我代表蔡瑞月文化基金會和台灣，向您致敬，並感謝您對舞蹈和文化的巨大貢獻。

永遠的舞者

愉快的時候，我們跳舞

悲傷的時刻，我們跳舞

舞蹈就是我們的DNA

跳舞吧! Martial

蕭靜文

版權所有：財團法人臺北市蔡瑞月文化基金會

Remembering Martial

Yesterday afternoon there was a heavy snowstorm. As I usually do on Sundays, I was watching football. The Cleveland team had not made it to the NFL playoffs so I wasn’t really paying attention. I checked my email. A message in my inbox was from Jill Williams of Clark Center NYC. That’s how I received word that Martial passed away.

I was shocked and my thoughts immediately went back to October 2008 at the Touyuan Airport lobby. It’s where I first met the charming Haitian American man whom Eleo Pomare had sent to work with my dance company to recreate his most precious dance works. He was dark skinned and bright eyed, but nervous. He wore a too heavy black jacket and had five enormous suitcases. He came prepared for anything, or like he intended to move to Taiwan.

On his last visit in 2019 my sister and I met Martial upon his arrival at the same airport. He wore a casual short sleeve Hawaiian shirt and carried only a small suitcase and a backpack. After so many visits he knew exactly what he needed. He had an easy, relaxed smile—dimples all the way—like he felt at home in Taiwan.

I worked with Martial for more than 10 years. I know he studied at Julliard, danced on Broadway and for many of the top companies in New York. He taught dance all over the US and in Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia, Japan… He was a tremendous figure in the world of dance.

But his personal story was what I really admired.

His mother, brother and he escaped the violence of Haiti in the 60s and immigrated to Brooklyn. A few years later his mother died and he was taken in by a Jewish family. He always wore a Star of David necklace in their honor even though he was Christian.

I called him a few years ago to wish him Happy Thanksgiving and he told me his son had died two days prior. There was a long silence.

I remember the many scars on his neck and chest from where someone had attacked him near the subway in NewYork. He was hospitalized for a week and almost didn’t recover. Five years later Martial found the man who did it.

The late Glenn Conner, Eleo Pomare Dance Company’s manager, said Martial had a troubled and difficult life. That might be what made him such a rare artist, one with the sensitivity to understand and present the nuances of Eleo’s monumental works regarding social issues and human rights.

Before working with my company’s dancers on movements, Martial always made sure they knew who Eleo was, why he was important in the history of modern dance, and the background of the work they were going to perform. He explained how the music and costumes fit into the performance and required that dancers do research on their own. After they understood the work, he allowed them the space and the freedom to interpret it.

My dancers all loved Martial—he had a kind of presence where when you met him once, you always remembered him—but more importantly, he helped them grow as artists. They benefited from his direction and became more “Pomare” in their artistry.

In the early years when we took Martial to the airport to depart Taiwan, we always cried together, sad to say good bye. More recently, there were fewer tears knowing we would be getting together before long. Now Martial, our dear, dear friend and “migrating bird,” won’t be returning.

Martial, on behalf of the Tsai Jui Yueh Cultural Foundation and all of Taiwan, I honor you and thank you for your great contribution to dance and culture.

Dance forever

Happy—we dance

Sad—we dance

Dance is our DNA

Dance on, Martial

Grace Shiau