  We investigate the dynamical evolution of a star cluster in an external tidal
field by using N-body simulations, with focus on the effects of the presence or
absence of neutron star natal velocity kicks.We show that, even if neutron
stars typically represent less than 2% of the total bound mass of a star
cluster, their primordial kinematic properties may affect the lifetime of the
system by up to almost a factor of four. We interpret this result in the light
of two known modes of star cluster dissolution, dominated by either early
stellar evolution mass loss or two-body relaxation. The competition between
these effects shapes the mass loss profile of star clusters, which may either
dissolve abruptly ("jumping"), in the pre-core-collapse phase, or gradually
("skiing"), after having reached core collapse.
