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.

While in Kick Line, she gained many friends that supported her through it all.

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. “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.

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.

“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 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.

The decision to join the IU South Bend Kick Line came easy for Kenna. At seven years old, she began tap dancing. As it came time for college, Kick Line was a way to keep up with her tap skills.

However, Kick Line brought Kenna much more than new dance routines and tap skills. It provided her with much needed positivity that made college enjoyable.

“Joining the Kick Line helped me as a student because I was surrounded by such positive people, Karen Pajor especially. She’s such a great role model and genuinely wants each one of us to succeed. Starting off the day, three days a week, with an instructor so full of energy and positivity really helped me to enjoy my college experience.”

Kenna was a shy person, but with the positive energy of Pajor and her fellow students, it was easier for her to open up and create lasting friendships. One of these friendships happened to be with Sikorski, who now is Kenna’s future husband. “I think it’s safe to say that Kick Line changed my life for the better, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t joined and met the best friends that I have now. I love the path of life I’m on right now, and I have to give a lot of credit to Kick Line. I found the love of my life, my soon-to-be husband by joining. Nicholas and I may not have been that close in the beginning, but I’m thankful that Kick Line brought us together and closer as the years went by,” Kenna says.

Leeah Killingbeck, BS ’15 Education, is now a second-grade teacher at the Success Academy South Bend.

Killingbeck was introduced to dance in high school and fell in love with the art. When it came time for college, she was involved with dance classes at IU South Bend.

“In my first couple classes, I was introduced to Karen and her tap classes were amazing! Her energy is electric! She brought up an opportunity to audition for the IU South Bend Tap Kick Line. I didn’t know if I would be good enough then, but I’m so glad I took a chance and went to the audition anyway,” Killingbeck enthuses.

She got into the Kick Line, which soon became a major highlight of her entire college experience.

“I felt like I belonged there. It offered camaraderie, and dance was great stress relief when school got tough. We were truly a team,” Killingbeck says.

During her time with the Kick Line, she learned that joy is infectious, stress management is important, and doing something for yourself is never a selfish thing to do. She now brings to her classroom a “let’s try again attitude” that she learned while involved in the group.

Jane Farrand, BS ’17 Business with a concentration in entrepreneurship and small business, had always wanted to join the Kick Line because of her love of tap dancing, but due to her schedule, she had to wait until her senior year to become involved with the group. Although she wishes she could have joined sooner, her involvement with the Kick Line was memorable and positive. Currently, she is a costume coordinator and dance teacher at Premier Arts in Elkhart.

During auditions she was nervous, but with group’s encouragement and help, Farrand was able to feel at ease with her abilities.

“I remember being super nervous about being able to pick up choreography quickly enough. When I joined Kick Line, I was currently in my first tap class with Karen. I had taken tap before, but not with her. Her style was different, and I wasn’t confident in many of her favorite moves. Everyone was very encouraging and helpful and in no time, I felt like I’d been dancing with them forever,”

Dancing allowed Farrand to have something to look forward to while attending college. It helped her have an outlet that did not have the stress of a class.

“When I was in rehearsal, I was able to just have fun and not worry about anything else. I also was a commuter and it helped me feel like a part of the school more than I had before,” Farrand said.

The Tap and Kick Line teaches students much more than the complex routines that awe the community during their many performances throughout the year. The IU South Bend Kick Line builds bonds among the performers, allows a way for them to express themselves, stay involved on campus, and have a support system for more than just school.

Many students who have joined IU South Bend’s Kick Line have left with a sense of purpose, enhanced creativity, and a new-found artistic expression. These students have made life-long friends, learned a way to escape from the stress of college life, and have incorporated the things they learned in Kick Line to their current careers.

born to be

DRAMATIC

Prepare for the performance of a lifetime with hands-on creative experience guided by a faculty of practicing theatre and dance professionals. The theatre and dance programs at IU South Bend combine academic learning with practical experience so you learn the art of theatre from every angle. Our theatre degrees serve as a pre-professional foundation for careers in acting, directing, playwriting, design, crafts, technology, theatre management, marketing, and audience development.

By Kate Luce

Five theatre and dance students are currently taking their degrees to the next level. While some are in graduate school, others are finding careers that tie directly to their degrees. The following Raclin School of the Arts graduates are doing big things both near and far.

DAYANDRA LEÃO, BFA '19 THEATRE

PERFORMANCE is residing in upstate New York. After graduation, she has been crisscrossing the country for auditions and extra acting classes. She attended the prestigious Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.

“There’s no right way to act, and everyone gets to their emotional toolbox in a different way, be it from Meisner to Chekhov to Strasberg to Stanislavski himself. For me, after reading Stella Adler’s book, her technique seemed like it would resonate with the kind of actor I am. She never believed in turning oneself inside out and harming yourself by trudging up past trauma. She was an advocate of living a full life, having a vivid imagination to fill in the blanks between you and your character, educating yourself because knowledge will strengthen that imagination, and using physical actions to pinpoint specific choices while acting. Before I even studied her technique intensely, I was doing much of what I just described, and I knew that I had to go and study it more after finding that out,” Leão says. After Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre, Leão has also been working on Emilia and the Heart of the Rainforest, throughout New York, working for the MerryGo-Round Youth Theatre. “I wanted the chance to hone my acting every single day while on tour so that when I made the eventual move to LA, I would have the endurance and authenticity that I needed to make it there. I also value the work that MerryGo-Round does as the largest theatre for young audiences in New York State. I’m able to perform for over 100,000 kids in 100+ performances of my tour alone. Moreover, I am able to portray a Brazilian indigenous character and be that steppingstone for representation that I aim to be. MerryGo-Round is also considered the ‘Broadway of the Finger Lakes’ due to the quality of work that is produced there. It is on its way to becoming a developmental site for shows that eventually go to New York, and I have seen lots of new works being put on by equity actors because of that,” Leão says. She performs two shows a day, five days a week. It’s a lot of work, but for Leão, it’s worth it. “To be able to draw up the energy I need and be there 100% honestly takes a toll on you. But in that same token, I’ve realized how I can always get myself to a place of realness from this job, and how to keep that illusion of the first time alive even when I’m dozens of shows in. I also love this show because it is shaping the minds of the next generation and showing them the beauty that is theatre,” Leão says. Recently, Leão, has been auditioning throughout New York for short films and student films. She has had auditions in Syracuse, Ithaca, and even Toronto.

However, her stay in New York is not permanent. Her goal is to move to Los Angeles after her contracts end in New York. She wants to get into film, television, and the bustling theatre scene in Los Angeles.

“I don’t want to limit myself by never trying to move to the heart of film and T.V. I owe it to all the people who supported me along the way, and to myself, to give it my all. I hope to be able to break barriers and have good representation for Latinx actors, as well as all people of color. I want to be an ally within my work and show the world that anything is possible if you believe and work hard enough to achieve it,” Leão says.

THEATRE PERFORMANCE, is attending Ohio University to pursue an MFA in Costume Design and Technology. Although Angelina received her undergraduate degree in Theatre Performance, her time working in the costume studio was memorable enough to change the course of her graduate studies.

“I knew I wanted to go into design around my sophomore and junior year of undergrad, but at that point, it was too late to switch my focus without adding more time onto my undergraduate degree. So, I decided to work on my She had an interest in Ohio University after meeting with the head of the costume design program, Helene Siebrits, at University Resident Theatre Association (URTA) in Chicago. After clicking right away with Siebrits and learning that Ohio University offers a wig design program, Angelina’s interest for attending grew.

Last summer, Angelina was contacted once again by Siebrits and was offered a spot in the MFA program as a costume designer and wig technologist.

Although Angelina has only been in the graduate program for a short while, she has been busy designing costumes and wigs, as well as acting and building life-long bonds with her peers.

“I just finished assistant costume designing Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson.” She also worked as assistant designing Rhinoceros by Ionesco which opened November 2019. I’m also gearing up to be the assistant designer for Objects in the Mirror and designing for the film department.” “Friday nights, I participate in Midnight Madness, which is a short play festival put on by the playwriting MFA students every Friday night. The way Midnight Madness works is the playwrights choose a different writer to produce every week. The producer chooses a theme on Monday, and everyone has until Friday tech rehearsal to write, cast, rehearse, and tech their play. I am friends with many of the playwriting MFAs and have been cast five times now,” Angelina says.

IAN LA FOUNTAIN, BFA '19 TECHNICAL THEATRE

with a concentration in Lighting Design, is attending the University of Nevada Las Vegas and pursing an MFA in Lighting and Design.

“Graduate school was an opportunity that presented itself late in my senior year. It wasn’t really planned. UNLV came in with a strong offer. Graduate school is a lot of politics, you have to quickly learn how to navigate the university structure to get what you want from the education,” La Fountain says.

Currently, La Fountain is opening The Flick at the Nevada Conservatory at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. While at IU South Bend, La Fountain was involved with more than just lighting. However, after discovering his passion for lighting, La Fountain won an award at the United States Institute for Theatre Technology for his lighting design work in Dead Man’s Cell Phone in 2017. His award-winning work was then featured in Theatre Design and Technology Journal, alongside other students who also won the award. “IU South Bend gave me a lot of freedom when it came to my art. The professors in the theatre and dance department are fantastic. Not only did they help make me a better artist, but they gave me the confidence to advocate for myself,” Once La Fountain graduates with his MFA, the plan is to shift his focus from theatre lighting to concert lighting.

a concentration in Lighting Design, has remained in the South Bend area. He has taken the position of Technical Director at Penn High School, teaching high school students the same passion for theatre he has.

“At the time, I was also looking at Goshen College’s position for their Technical Director. I took the position at Penn because this was a great way to expose future generations to theatre and help to prepare them for college for those that want to pursue theatre as a career. When I went in for my interview with Penn, I was blown away by their theatre spaces and how technologically advanced they are, and I thought that this was a great place to be. It’s funny, in high school I wanted to go to Penn for school, and in my college years, I became their DJ for prom,” Sikorski marvels.

Sikorski’s position at Penn High School is very complex. He works with scheduling the school’s theatre productions, setting the stage for these productions as well as the band, orchestra, and choir concerts. He works very closely with the students to teach set, lighting, and sound design of theatre productions, as well as teaching his students proper stage and house management.

“I enjoy how hands on the job is. There really is not a dull or boring day at the office, but mostly, I enjoy exposing the students to new technical ideas, teaching them new and exciting ways to light design and sound design. It truly is rewarding when a student who has never played with lights or designed for a show before gets some experience in that field and is truly blown away by what they accomplished,” Sikorski says. Last fall, Sikorski has just closed Penn High School’s production of Shakespeare in Love: High School Addition. The next event was the Madrigal Dinner Theatre performance and Viva Voce Choir. The spring event was scheduled to be the stage design for Fiddler on the Roof.

Sikorski plans to stay at Penn High School for a while, but graduate school is his next step. Nonetheless, his experience with Penn has been rewarding and very fulfilling.

TYLER MARCOTTE, BFA '19 MUSICAL THEATRE,

attended the Open Jar Institute in New York this past summer. The Open Jar Institute is an intensive week-long program that provides students with one-on-one training with Broadway performers, directors, choreographers, and agents.

Marcotte auditioned for the Open Jar Institute the last day of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival this past year. She took a chance after several other IU South Bend students decided to audition for the school. “My experience was amazing. I worked with Broadway professionals such as Angelique Ilo, a performer from the original Chorus Line on Broadway, as well as Bob Cline, who is a casting director for the regional circuit. We saw four Broadway shows and had workshops every hour of the day,” Marcotte says.

With the busy schedule of the Open Jar Institute, Marcotte found confidence in her passion for theatre. With hard work, comes great rewards.

“The greatest thing I took away from my experience is that I can do this. With enough hard work and effort, going to auditions, honing my skills and non-stop work, I can make my dreams a reality. My experience in New York was not only eye opening but encouraging as well,” she says.

As of now, Marcotte is back to doing the same hard work that the Open Jar Institute inspired her to do. She has been busy with auditioning, preparing her website, and recording videos.

“The work never ends, but I would not want to have it any other way!” Marcotte exclaims.