TWIN CITIES MUSIC FESTIVAL [intro][spotlights 1 • 2 • 3 • 4]
Featuring Local, World-Class Musicians

Friday, March 31 • 7:30pm
Hall Middle School Gym, 200 Doherty Drive, Larkspur
FREE! Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis

MUSICIANS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The performers for the Twin Cities Music Festival on March 31 represent many different styles and genres.

LEXI AHLE, 6th grade math and science teacher, is an excellent tap dancer. She will be interpreting a special Count Basie tune with the jazz group “Caledonia” at the festival. Dance has been a constant thread throughout Lexi’s life. She began dancing at the age of two, and at the height of her career performed and competed extensively throughout the U.S. and Japan. After beginning her teaching career at San Luis Obispo High School, she founded the thirty-member dance company, Momentum. Why tap? “I was trained in many styles of dance, but as I got older tap emerged as my favorite because it’s so challenging and a lot of fun.” She’s been particularly impressed with the dancing of young Savion Glover and Tap Dogs. “They’ve really pushed the envelope when it comes to style and technique and made it much more exciting to watch,” she continued.

BERT PANKLER, 7th grade math teacher, is a marvelous accordion player and will contribute a set of folk music from around the world, some from his extensive travels. (He was on sabbatical to Argentina last year!) Why accordion? “It’s a magical, mind-boggling, and some would say beautiful folk instrument, and it breathes!” says Pankler. He is basically self-taught but is constantly learning new tunes and attends folk music workshops. His brother Mark was an early musical influence along with Tex-Mex and norteño accordionists like Ramon Ayala, Valerio Longoria and Flaco Jimenez. Over the years Pankler has been a regular with a cumbia/ ranchera band that plays Friday and Saturday night gigs in and around San Rafael. “That scene is always so festive with lots of couples crowding the dance floor,” he said smiling. Why is music such an important part of his life? “For me, music provides a portal through which we can tap into the universal energy of which we are all a part. It’s through music that I'm able to feel more connected with others and therefore more whole as a person.”

Next week we’ll meet other artists, including parents of students in the Larkspur School District, a school volunteer, and a very special surprise guest.