Tap and Kick Line graduates dance their way to the top! By Kate Luce
For eight years, the IU South Bend Tap and Kick Line has been dazzling the community with their tap performances. The dancers are all IU South Bend students, representing a variety of majors, but with one thing in common—the love of dance. Karen Pajor, Tap and Kick Line instructor at IU South Bend, has been teaching these students for many years. Participating in the Kick Line has given these students the opportunity to rehearse and perform together and has offered a special bonding experience that they all agree has contributed to their success in both academics and in the world beyond the Kick Line. The Kick Line has proven to be a vital piece of each of their success stories. Many former members reflect on what it meant to them and the effect it has had on their lives since college. Jillian Rucker, BA ’14 General Studies, is currently a dance instructor for the YMCA in upstate New York. As a dance instructor, she is using her experiences to enrich her profession. Originally, she joined the Kick Line because her parents encouraged her to. “My biggest cheerleaders in my life are my mom and my dad. I was interested in the Kick Line, but they really cheered me on. I auditioned the day after my father died because I knew that’s what he would want me to do,” Rucker says.
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“Kick Line gave me an outlet outside of my degree requirements and motivated me to do well in classes, so I could stay with the group,” Angelina says. As of now, Angelina is a full-time graduate student at Ohio University pursuing a master’s degree in Costume Design and Technology. Nicholas Sikorski, BFA ’19 Theatre Design with a concentration in Lighting Design, did not have to go too far to find a profession that he thoroughly enjoys. Currently, Sikorski is working as the Performing Arts Director at Penn-Harris High School. Before joining the Kick Line, Sikorski was in the IUSB Dance Company and was performing in West Side Story at the Morris Performing Arts Center. Pajor wanted to expand the group into a co-ed group, so he and two others joined the Kick Line. “At the time, I was exploring different types of dance styles and tap was one that really spoke to me, so I enrolled in Tap 1 and have been tapping ever since. What made me join the group was my friends; they also were recruited to the Kick Line,” Sikorski says.
While in Kick Line, she gained many friends that supported her through it all.
His time with the group resulted in much more than just dancing. With Kick Line, Sikorski became a more disciplined student, showing up to class on time and completing his work. In all, it helped Sikorski graduate. It was because of the group’s positive attitude, and the view that nothing is impossible, that carried on past college life.
Samantha Angelina, BFA ’19 Musical Theatre Performance, originally joined because she enjoyed tap dancing and wanted to continue working on those skills. However, as she continued to stay in the group, it was much more than extra practice.
“If it weren’t for how close we all become from being in the group along with Karen’s guidance and care for her students, I probably would not have finished school. Before Kick Line, I was not the best student in terms of completing work or coming to classes
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regularly. It wasn’t until I joined the Kick Line that I became more disciplined, and I have Karen to thank for that,” Sikorski reveals. In addition to graduating, Sikorski also met his soon-to-be wife, Rebecca Kenna. Kenna joined in 2014 and met Sikorski. “There was just something about her that stood out from any woman on the planet, she was and still is absolutely stunning. If it wasn’t for Kick Line I would have never met the woman of my dreams,” Sikorski shares. Rebecca Kenna, BFA ’17 Integrated New Media Studies, is currently the lead graphic designer for Coach Guard in Elkhart.
