Esther Ponce Magazine

Esther Ponce Magazine

XANA

XANA, a true story…

…But XANA was different from her 3 sisters, since the day she was born in the Nalón estuary while her mother washed, she was already blessed to foresee the future throughout her life and save lives…

“ Sara Esther, the fourth and last generation of XANAS from the “Leré” family, at the age of 7, begins to train very hard in sports gymnastics, until something unexpected happens that will change her destiny… meanwhile, the famous Kreisler Galleries in Madrid and Minister Fraga Iribarne, give a Gala Dinner in honor of Prieto Nespererira, organized by his daughter at home…”

January 24, 1977, a late-Francoist terrorist attack stains Madrid black… two young people from the extreme right enter an apartment at night and kill 5 labor lawyers from the Communist party of Spain with firearms. King Juan Carlos I of Borbón had just appointed the President of the Government, who had been Director of RTVE three years before, Adolfo Suarez. The Atocha massacre saved one of the firm's lawyers, Manuela Carmena, who just before the attack exchanged offices with one of the deceased. Who would have imagined that 40 years later she would be the mayor of Madrid?

Like every summer, XANA and Colonel Ponce spent the summer with their 16 grandchildren on the beach, eight girls and eight boys, aged between three and twenty. All the grandchildren fell asleep with the stories of the war and of their grandmother with her Khadimas who are the maids, in Morocco. And that summer in particular, XANA was able to renew itself a bit and tell them about scenes from the movie that had just been released, Bodas de Sangre, by Moroccan director Souheil Ben-Barra, based on Federico Garcia Lorca's 1933 play.
 It was an urbanization where her children also had their houses. Except The Voice of Orange and Angel who lived with XANA for the three summer months. They were very large houses two steps from the sand, without tourists and very close to the city. Most of the grandchildren had been born in the summer and spent their entire summer celebrating birthdays. They used to gather tables that were in the arcades and that surrounded the large pool and thus spend the day eating, drinking and of course, singing Asturias patria querida. XANA said that Asturias was Spain and the rest, reconquered land. While a family used two or three tables, XANA's family gathered ten and the parties lasted until well into the morning.

The oldest children of Carmina, XANA's daughter and who was 13 years difference from her sister Elvira, were studying medicine and law. ! They were gorgeous! a super exotic beauty. They had each come out with their personality to their great-great-grandfather, the mysterious Asturian C
 With jet-black hair, porcelain-white skin, and a Hollywood smile. At the last minute they always had to put together another table just for the lovers.
His father, Don Federico Carbonell, went sailing on his boat every morning and picked up his brother-in-law Angel and his niece Esther, who had swum since she was born.
XANA, who was already beginning to sense the future again, explained to her sons-in-law, what Esther would be, when her mother Elvira, the fourth and last generation of XANAS of the "Leré" family, was missing and that was why she was so attracted to the sea, the fountains, the rivers, the gold, the color white and sang and danced like fairies.
All the nephews went to the dental clinic of their uncle Federico, which was in the middle of Gran Vía Marques del Turia. In the building that he bought so that each of his six children would have their home and that his father, the architect of the Valencia City Council, Mr. Carlos Carbonell, had designed. 

 Esther was in her sauce with so many cousins, it was like having a company and running it. Everyone loved her, admired her and followed her orders. Esther called XANA Mamaita, in Asturian we say güela, but for her Esther she was another mother. What Esther liked was being with her grandfather, she cleaned the medals on his uniform and took Pictolín candies from the inside pocket of his jacket, those tiny mint ones… and she always asked him the same thing ; - where do you have the gun grandpa? ? Of course it was never at home. The Colonel answered his famous phrase; — passed short, long view, and bad milk!
 The last week of August the children's tennis, athletics, bicycle and swimming competitions were held. On August 28, Esther turned 7 years old and everyone was invited. In addition, that date coincided with her farewell, because they were returning to Madrid to start school on September 1.
The parents commented during the giant paella that had been cooking all morning, and with a face of few friends, that it was impossible to beat the grandchildren of Colonel Ponce, especially the three from Madrid, which was what they called the children of Elvira and Angel , because every year they took the gold medals. Born athletes, their bodies were already muscular, strong and defined. They were the only blonde grandchildren with curly gold hair.
The topic of conversation that day of the great family was the historic act that was going to happen in a few months in Covadonga. The tribute to the Prince of Asturias Felipe de Borbón and who happened to have an enormous resemblance to her grandson Ismael, Elvira's firstborn. That he had won a national contest "Maravillas del Saber" and was already one of the most outstanding students in all of Spain.
 XANA said goodbye to Elvira as always, with special affection, this time warning her to be very careful with her Princess of Kapurthala; —Daughter, Esther is a star, but she shines so much that not everyone will accept it and she will be very envious. But do not worry about anything, that the Virgin of Socorro has already begun to form her halo and she will always protect us.

They arrived in Madrid straight to their new house in La Piovera, next to the Parque Conde de Orgaz. An urbanization with thousand of amazing trees, where all the aviation pilots lived, with an American mentality for being close to the base and where you could already see signs of Halloween in the chalets. In Spain it was practically not celebrated, but in the new school that was in the same urbanization it was. It was a great change, from the Obispo Perello male College of priests, and the female Corpus Christi of nuns, to a mixed English school.
There was a family that celebrated the eve of all Saints as in the time of the primitive Christians, who went begging through the houses "dead cakes", which were pieces of bread with raisins. The more they received, the more they would pray for their souls and those of their loved ones.
The Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci arrived at the Barajas airport in Madrid, received by Félix Fernández, the President of the Spanish Federation. Esther just wanted to watch television to follow her muse, Nadia. She had been very struck by the fact that she had become, at only fourteen years old, the first gymnast in history to win the gold medal at the Montreal Olympics with a perfect ten. Years later, the humiliations and physical punishments to which her coach Bela karolyi subjected her were uncovered. But what fascinated Esther the most was that her muse would travel to Valencia to be the Fallera Mayor of that year. All this caused her parents to sign her up for artistic gymnastics at the Moscardó gym on Avenida de America.
 But what fascinated Esther the most was that her muse would travel to Valencia to be the Fallera Mayor of that year. All this caused her parents to sign her up for artistic gymnastics at the Moscardó gym on Avenida de America.
The training sessions were very hard because Esther had decided to follow in Comaneci's footsteps.
In the first week, she already had a perfect flig flag on the ground. It involves a back flip in the air, throwing your legs over your head and landing with your knees bent and your feet together.
Elvira was in charge of picking up Esther after training. That day she was talking to XANA who had a premonition since summer and told her to do everything possible so that Angel would go to see the training that day and that without fail she would take the Virgen del Socorro. Elvira replied that it was impossible because he was recording a new album with Raphael the singer, who never rested, who released an album every year and that Angel was his Angel, as the artist said, and he didn't want to record with anyone else. But Elvira, would always listen to her mother and began to think of a plan.

 Elvira left Esther in the gym, instead of waiting for the training to finish, she went to the Hispavox studios that were very close and asked Angel to come out that it was very important and that it wouldn't be long. And to please take a break. Angel didn't hesitate and got into the car, he already knew his mother-in-law's premonitions and had already saved his daughter's life once.
They took advantage and stayed to watch the training. The coach was at the front door talking to some parents and he couldn't see and avoid what was about to happen.
To do the flig flag on the vault, ( potro) you have to have the trainer hold you around the waist to make sure you land on top of the bar, because it's a back somersault. The name says it all, and we are talking about a wood lined with leather, where your foot does not even fit and balance is the basis of everything and requires a lot of time. When Esther saw her father in the stands, she wanted to show him what she had learned in the Nadia Comaneci style, she stopped practicing on the ground and went straight to el potro , she jumped with her legs spread and climbed on. At that moment Elvira stood up suddenly because she knew her daughter's intentions, she ran down the steps, and without shouting so as not to scare her, she approached the colt with her heart in her hand to prevent her from performing the somersault without a coach and without anyone to help her. She was watching her... when suddenly in just two seconds, the huge room trembled, it was heard at the same time and with a great echo, the murmur of the people and the cries of some mothers. Esther had twisted into the back flip in the air. Her instinct made her look at her father, who was staring at her and sending her all his love and strength from afar... until God wanted Esther to find her center, grab onto the colt with her toes like a cat and everyone breathed again.
Angel told Elvira that if she didn't want to die of a heart attack, Esther had to give up gymnastics and listen to D. Julio and her godmother, who had long been after enrolling the princess in ballet classes at the school of best teacher, Victor Ullate.
 Esther was also scared to death, her destiny had changed and she decided to be an actress, but at the Conservatory they told her that she couldn't enter until she was 14 years old. In the meantime, she would accept the gift from her godparents and start ballet classes because is the mother of dance.
With her great elasticity, her movement coordination and the star that made her shine, she quickly acquired a good level in classical dance.
Esther was very independent and did not let her mother into the school like other mothers did. She did the bow by herself and Elvira only came in to pick it up.
One day, Elvira came in earlier and asked the secretary how her daughter was doing and if she was doing. She when she found out that her daughter had not been going to classes for a while. Elvira got very scared, and waited for her to come out. Esther told her that she listened to the music and the castanets (castanets) in the Spanish classical class taught by a young teacher, Victoria Eugenia, Betty. And that she liked it better than just doing ballet. What was more entertaining and more fun… Fifteen years later Betty would become Director of the National Ballet of Spain.
Two years later, Esther began her Spanish Dance career at the Royal Conservatory of Music and Dance in Madrid.

XANA was having a snack one afternoon with Doña Blanca and Aunt Blanca asked her if she was going to Madrid to attend homage to D. Julio. They were going to appoint D. Emilio General and they could not attend. Blanca was putting away the suit that she would take to Madrid and that she would wear for the Voice of Orange dinner. But XANA seemed worried, she told Blanca that when she was sewing it, she clearly saw the halo again of the Virgen del Socorro and she felt a different shiver than the other times. That night her mother appeared in a dream and announced that her daughter Elvira would travel to Argentina, and that a man with gray hair would cheat on her. 

TVE dedicates the program “A Fondo” by J. Soler Serrano to Prieto Nespereira and the prestigious Kreisler galleries in the Salamanca district of Madrid and the Vice President of the Government and Minister of the Interior, Mr. Manuel Fraga Iribarne, decide to pay tribute to him and offer a dinner gala organized by her daughter Esther Gloria at her home in Majadahonda.
Don Manuel was a close friend of the painter, also Galician, and they had met in Cuenca when Fraga was Minister of Information and Tourism. The summer months were neighbors in their beach houses in Pontedeume.
Esther Gloria put on a party that was talked about for years in the mountains of Madrid. She did not lack detail. Since she liked flowers so much, the house was full of fauna in every corner, ceiling and window. They were two very large houses close together. They had 8 rooms where you could also observe the art, D. Julio's study, 6 bathrooms, a kitchen the size of two huge ones and 4 dining rooms. Esther Gloria did not skimp on the organization and hired ten waiters before going to the table, who went from one side of the house to the other without stopping to offer trays with the best delicacies worthy of an opera Diva.
She put on the long velvet robe to her feet, to hide the hundred kilos that she weighed. Her hair fresh from the salon and her exaggerated and expensive jewelry decorated her chubby fingers, with long nails painted light pink and pointed, and which played the piano like the goddesses... Not having her Adonis around prevented her from lose weight and be completely happy...
It was like visiting an antique museum and all the guests were delighted and celebrating a moment in the history of each of their lives.

Among the guests was aunt Blanca who also stayed that night along with Elvira, Angel and Esther, it was impossible to convince her to stay at home with her brothers. The princess wanted to attend her godfather's tribute even if it was from Esther Gloria's room, where she used to sleep many weekends in the four-poster bed from the 15th century.
Blanca, in addition to being the secretary and friend of the Director of Radio Nacional de España, was parading for the Lois brand. XANA, who sometimes accompanied her, told her to pay attention to the company's logo, which is a little bull, because she would have a lot to do with her life when she was an old woman...
Blanca's long and thin legs did not go unnoticed by the Director of the founder of Lois jeans, Mr Joaquin Sáez Merino. Who met Blanca in the workshop one afternoon when she was accompanying her neighbor who turned out to be his secretary.

He finishing touch was provided by La voz de Naranja accompanied on piano by Esther Gloria. With the first chords of "Alfonsina y el Mar" Elvira began to recite with her so charismatic voice the tragic story of the suicide in the sea of ​​the Argentine poet, Alfonsina Storni.
But when she began to sing the sad song of solitude, with such an elegant color of voice and such pure beauty, D. Julio, who was already 78 years old although he was perfectly preserved, could not help crying and behind him, the rest of guests…Esther, had pretended to be asleep with the nanny and escaped from the room hiding behind the sofa to see her mother's performance. When she saw that everyone was crying, instead of going back to the room and no one would have found out about her mischief, she thought that making them laugh would be the best ending for them. She appeared in her nightgown next to the piano with her two golden braids, and after hugging her mother, she thanked the guests with great sympathy and politeness for their assistance, hoping to see them again. Who did not stop smiling while saying goodbye commenting on what happened and thanking the sublime night they had attended.
Argentina was knocking on Elvira's door as XANA predicted...

Don't miss the next chapter! Chap.7

“XANA uses her powers to rescue her daughter from Buenos Aires on Christmas Eve…Elvira sings at the mythical Colón theater and her manager disappears with the money, cheats on him, steals her cache and the tragedy begins…”
 
 

Por la blanda arena que lame el mar
Su pequeña huella no vuelve más
Un sendero solo de pena y silencio llegó
Hasta el agua profunda
Un sendero solo de penas mudas llegó
Hasta la espuma
Sabe Dios qué angustia te acompañó
Qué dolores viejos calló tu voz
Para recostarte arrullada en el canto de las
caracolas marinas
La canción que canta en el fondo oscuro del mar
La caracola
Te vas Alfonsina con tu soledad
¿Qué poemas nuevos fuiste a buscar?
Una voz antigua de viento y de sal
Te requiebra el alma y la está llevando
Y te vas hacia allá como en sueños
Dormida, Alfonsina, vestida de mar
Cinco sirenitas te llevarán
Por caminos de algas y de coral
Y fosforescentes caballos marinos harán
Una ronda a tu lado
Y los habitantes del agua van a jugar
Pronto a tu lado
Bájame la lámpara un poco más
Déjame que duerma nodriza, en paz
Y si llama él no le digas que estoy
Dile que Alfonsina no vuelve
Y si llama él no le digas nunca que estoy
Di que me he ido
Te vas Alfonsina con tu soledad
¿Qué poemas nuevos fuiste a buscar?
Una voz antigua de viento y de sal
Te requiebra el alma y la está llevando
Y te vas hacia allá como en sueños
Dormida, Alfonsina, vestida de mar.

Unleash Your Inner Flamenca is dedicated to all the women of the world and it does not mean that you have to be flamenco or dedicate yourself to the world of dance. It is an expression, it is a way of facing the setbacks that life gives us and because flamenco has that attitude of: Here I am!

Unleashing my inner Flamenca has helped me in many very extreme situations in my life and, not only technically speaking as a flamenco professional, but in those times that I didn't have to be dancing, or teaching, or competing, or performing on stage. I’m talking about everyday life.

That is why you too can bring out your inner Flamenca. 

A flamenca woman is confident, a flamenca woman is sure of herself, has gravitas, has bearing, has wisdom and knows how to be in command. 

In other words, unleash your inner Flamenca and join me in this adventure in which we are going to have a great time! We know how it starts and we don't know how it ends, but it is sure to be one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life.

I didn't need to be famous to sleep in Hemingway's Presidential suite at the Gritti Palace in Venice for all my birthdays. 

Have a Bellini while I wait for the gondola that will take me to the private Film Festival party on the yacht of my colleague, who was a Versace collaborator, or dine on the famous terrace of the Hotel Danieli. 

It is also true that if I had slept with all my stalkers, I would now be more famous than Sara Baras. BUT! no matter how much I took a shower, the smell of vomit would not go away from my body and the phrase of: “how did I get it” would be the soundtrack of my life, which would turn my insides with each applause. 

Nor did I need to be famous to have a bodyguard escort me to the door of the plane, in the direction of the American Embassy in Beirut or go in a Limousine and drink the best champagne. 

“Todo lo he conseguido con pasión, seguridad en mi misma , esfuerzo y dedicación”. 

Proving first to myself and then to the whole world that I don't need to sell myself to a man to succeed in my career. And that I bring out the inner Flamenca every time they cross my path. 

Do not allow any man to command you or demand what you have to do. 

Lucha por lo que quieras, viste como quieras, maquíllate como quieras , estudia lo que quieras y júntate con quien quieras.

The first time a man lays his hand on you, it will be his fault, but the second time it will be your fault for putting up with the first time. 

And if you feel trapped and you are afraid to stand up to your reality, look for a way as if it were the last day of your life to give a signal at the pharmacy, at the market, to a neighbor you come across, to anyone who can hear this number: 016! and it will be the first step to your salvation, to your new life, surely filled with all the good things you long for and where no one will let you back down. You will immediately be protected by the society that will protect and help you without conditions. And I, Esther Ponce, am already thinking of you. 

UNLEASH YOUR INNER FLAMENCA #SACALAFLAMENCA

I have suffered more than 10 workplace harassments from very famous people in the world of show business, and knowing what I now know, I would have denounced it. 

A I’m going to tell you how I brought out the flamenco that I have in extreme situations and that I hope and serve to help some woman to do the same as me.

For now I'm only going to use nicknames.

“If I had slept with all my stalkers, I would now be more famous than Sara Baras. "

 

With my testimony and my own experience, living in different countries of the world and interacting with all kinds of social classes, race, culture and religion, I want to turn around the drama that women experience in the world.
Ayudarlas a salir de ese callejón oscuro, animarlas y convencerlas de que nunca tiren la toalla , de que existe un mundo maravilloso esperándoles para sacar lo mejor de ellas. Su fuerza, su belleza interior y sus ganas de salir adelante. Que no dejen de luchar por los derechos de la mujer y la igualdad de género. Que griten a los cuatro vientos  y que no se callen nunca, que sonrían y que se llenen de paz con la belleza que nos brinda Lanzarote y su naturaleza.
That they are not alone... that they unleash their inner flamenca A strong and self-confident woman, the director of their own life. That she clings to the ground with temperance and ready to scratch at any moment if necessary and fight life with the best smile... 

I have experiences and anecdotes to tell all women; the neighborhood ones, the rich ones , the conflictive ones, the addicted ones, etc. And always with my motto that to run away from any situation, the best thing is to practice athletics! … My uncle used to called me Dance Athlete, he said; As long as you have strong legs and a strong heart, you can fly! . 

Esther Ponce's experimental Flamenco is ready for the Valencian Director of Tourism to meet

It is very gratifying to have an idea like the experimental Flamenco in Valencia, carry it out and have managed to attract more than 20 foreign clients to Valencia in a short time and without marketing, who have passed through the Flamenco Art Center, and who have not only They learned a lot if not they have returned to their country with a better concept of Valencia.

His experience and approach to flamenco led by Esther Ponce will make you return without hesitation to the city of Turia.

Esther Ponce not only surrounds them with her passion and charisma from the first moment, her professionalism and a very long journey through different countries of the world where she has lived for long periods, she makes them fall in love.

You just have to read the dedications of all the foreigners who write in their precious notebook created for them and that are already adding more and more.

«They also buy semi-professional shoes and a skirt to study with me.» That’s already the best! –
~ Esther Ponce

 The foreigner is used to teaching flamenco very quickly and without discipline, anything goes, any shoe, any skirt, hanging out even parodying and even ridiculing flamenco.

With me if they want to study two private hours which is the minimum, they are given the option of buying or renting the shoes and none of them have thought twice about it to this day.
 
«Being a polyglot, doors just open up to me» –
~ Esther Ponce
 
Definitely the Experimental Flamenco of Esther Ponce has an Angel!

From England, without a doubt the most special Experimental Flamenco we have had at the Flamenco Art Center in these two and a half years.

The Esther Ponce Stylized Flamenco Art Center has been open for two and a half years. El Ángel Every August 28, for Esther’s birthday, a new foreign student gives her a gift and the flamenco toast intensifies.

«The students do not want to miss the opportunity to study with me. When they start to study my technique they are hooked at the first second. Those who play sports and take care of themselves immediately identify with my stretching and feel safer for the rest of the class and those who don’t appreciate it and will surely start practicing it and taking care of themselves forever »
~ Esther Ponce

This year Esther thought that her Angel would be very busy due to the current pandemic situation and also that it would be a coincidence that another year happened.

But to Esther’s surprise it was like that and without doubt the most special flamenco toast for England.

«Discipline is my hallmark and not even the Covid has stopped us» «I have never doubted it and I will only teach classes with a mask»
~ Esther Ponce

After the experience of teaching classes with a mask? A private flamenco class for two hours without stopping, does Esther remember that when she and the student went out into the street they breathed for two seconds as if there were no tomorrow?According to Esther’s recent experience, with the mask you cannot see the total expression of the student, but the eyes also speak and flamenco is also expressed with the body.

With all the safety measures, the student disinfected her shoes, put hydroalcoholic gel on her hands, a temperature control was performed with a non-contact forehead thermometer and the student did not remove her mask during the two hours, only in the changing room that she only used to drink water. 

“Now I can present my Experimental Flamenco to the director of Tourism of Valencia and let him roll with the little ham :)”
 
~ Esther Ponce