Fifteen years ago, IU South Bend’s Miss Karen Pajor created the Tap & Kickline. The group started off small, with just a few dancers performing a handful of shows a year. Fast forward to 2026: this group has grown and changed so much and is ready to celebrate its much anticipated anniversary.
In 2011, Pajor – known affectionately to Tap & Kickline members as Miss Karen – felt a need to start an on-campus dance organization. She had been teaching dance classes on campus, and wanted to expand.
“We had several students in classes who had more experience and they wanted to do more things, more performances, and there wasn’t really an outlet for that,” Pajor said. She recalls dancing a lot in college and enjoying performing, and she wanted to bring that to IU South Bend.
Over 15 years, there have been 63 total members in the Tap & Kickline. Each year for the past four years, a new freshman has joined the team. The Kickline has also awarded four scholarships and has a 77% graduation rate. They also incorporate local high schoolers for some of their performances, and have had 19 join since 2022.
NOW. The Tap & Kickline has grown, performing at Artbeat in 2025.
The Kickline averages 20 performances a year, and in 2025 they had a record 30 performances total. They’re very involved in the community, and a big portion of their performances actually take place outside of campus in various locations. They perform at the Daddy Daughter and Mother Son Dances, First Fridays, Artbeat and many other community events. They always make sure to bring a smile to peoples’ faces.
“For example, when you’re watching the audience for the Mother Son Dance, you see young boys just jumping up and down and cheering and excited to see the Kickline perform,” Pajor added.
If there’s an event in South Bend that involves entertainment, you’re sure to find the Tap & Kickline there.
In addition to IU South Bend students, the Kickline also includes alumni who graduated from IU are able to come back and dance. The Kickline has a number of graduates, including ranging from recent grads to veterans who have been with the Kickline since the beginning.
“I feel like the level of tap has changed to where we do a lot more intricate and harder tap routines,” Shannon Olsen, an original Tap & Kickline member, said. “Our group picks it up a lot faster, so we’re able to do a lot more. And the amount of dancers as well, because we started with three.”
“We were always a fun group. We did not have the discipline and talents when we started off,” Pajor said. “As we got stronger, we were able to attract people who had more talent or who were willing to work hard and push themselves.”
Pajor and Kickline members stressed that arts are absolutely essential within schools. Being able to escape from the craziness and stress that comes with college is very important, and the arts allow students to escape, have fun and be themselves while taking a break from schoolwork. The Kickline is always a safe space for members to hang out and decompress from their hectic lives.
“Dancing with Tap & Kickline, I can be really close with friends, those who are alumni and still college students,” said current IU South Bend student Olivia Ritschard. “I feel like I get a break from schoolwork and can escape to the dance world.”
This close, supportive environment have helped the Tap & Kickline succeed.
“We grew from almost a club to an actual group, family and organization. When we first started, we had to find places to perform, and now we are consistently being asked,” Pajor said.
On April 26, the Kickline will perform their second annual campus show in the Northside auditorium at 2 p.m. This show kicked off just last year and will showcase a variety of dances prepared during the year by the Kickline, along with tap class also instructed by Pajor. For their 15th anniversary, the Kickline has also invited guests from the community who have tap experience to perform in this show. The Kickline is bigger and better than ever, so you won’t want to miss this showcase of talent.
