By Catherine Laroche
When the University of Louisville Ladybirds were announced at the Middle Tennessee State football game, something unusual happened.
Standing alongside all of the Ladybirds was a man. Sophomore Cardinal Bird Kyle Kessinger was the mystery man dancing with the Ladybirds.
“Ladybird style [of dance] takes a long time to get used to,” said Yuna Chen, junior Ladybird. “When I was a freshman, I had a hard time adjusting to a style, but [Kyle] was very quick to adjust and he worked very hard.”
Kessinger started dancing in his school’s talent show as a second grader, then took dance lessons for nine years.
“Dancing has always been something that I naturally had,” Kessinger said. “Everything else, I’ve had to work at. This is something that I’ve always loved and enjoyed.”
At a Ladybirds cheer camp in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Kessinger participated in a dance-off against another male athlete. It didn’t take long for Ladybirds’ coaches Todd Sharp and Sheryl Knight to work Kessinger into a routine.
“He hears music and immediately starts interpreting it with his movement,” Sharp said. “He’s just a natural dancer.”
Although Kessinger is the first male to share the spotlight with the Ladybirds on a football field, he’s not the first male to perform with the team. Former co-ed cheerleader Wes Haley danced with the Ladybirds in 2004. Regardless of the name, Sharp said talented males are welcomed to try-out for the Ladybirds.
“They’ve always been known as a female group,” Sharp said. “However, we’re not opposed to talent. Sheryl and I are totally open to guys dancing with us as long as they are as talented as our average Ladybird.”
The Ladybirds had to adjust to male presence on the field.
“It’s different to dance with a guy but it’s really fun,” said Adelynn Whiting, senior Ladybird. “It adds more diversity to our team. He’s got his own style and it has an effect on how we look.”
Kessinger also has a different experience than his usual solo performance.
“It’s kind of intimidating because being the only male you know that everybody’s got their eye on you,” he said. “I knew there was a lot of pressure on me. But at the same time I knew that if anything went wrong to just free-style and no one would ever know.”
After two successful appearances with the Ladybirds under his belt, students can expect to see Kessinger throughout basketball season.
“We plan on utilizing him [as a dancer] for sure,” Sharp said. “At this point, we don’t plan for a guy to compete at the dance team Nationals this year, but I won’t rule that out before he graduates.”
