By: Vanessa Taylor (Loyola Sophomore)
Scorch is a hip-hop dance club for Loyola students, student-run by co-captains Shae Sauer and Colleen Hannigan. Back for the new semester, Scorch will be setting fire to the stage once again.
Scorch club’s Instagram has sneak peaks of dances, and announcements for performances at upcoming basketball games and their semester showcase.
Ellie Jayne is a sophomore at Loyola and a current member of Scorch. Jayne started dancing at three years old and has continued since. With 15 years of dance experience in ballet and contemporary, it wasn’t until Jayne tried out for Scorch that she was introduced to a new style of dance: Hip Hop.
Despite not having prior hip hop experience, Jayne tried out for Scorch and joined the team, and hasn’t regretted it since. Talking about her experience with Scorch, Jayne shares information on tryouts, practices, and the relationships formed.
Interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Taylor: As a member of Scorch during this semester’s tryout process, what do you notice from this new perspective and being on the other side of the tryout experience?
Jayne: As a freshman, trying out was stressful because it was a new environment and I didn’t know who people were or what to expect. This year, being able to help the new recruits has been more relaxing than last year but I can empathize with the new members. I was able to connect with them and hopefully ease their stress a bit.
Taylor: Is anybody from Loyola allowed to join and is previous dance experience needed?
Jayne: Scorch is open for all ages of Loyola students and no, there’s no previous dance experience needed. There were a couple of people who tried out with me last year, one who I’m now close friends with, who had no experience but still made the team and we had a great time this past year. Anyone who wants to try out next semester just needs to show up and be willing to try new things and let go of any preconceived notions of dance.
Taylor: I know a lot of people in college don’t have the time to commit to clubs and sports, would you say Scorch is a time-intensive club?
Jayne: Our practices are mainly on Sundays and they go for two hours. You’re allowed to miss three practices unless you notify the coach that you are going to be absent. Because you can choose how many dances you sign up for, it’s really as much of a commitment as you want it to be.
Taylor: You mentioned you became close friends with other Scorch members. Does your team do things outside of dance? What kind of relationships have you formed with other members?
Jayne: Yes, we try our best to have a couple of team bonding hangouts per semester. We all just get together and get to know each other better outside of the dance and school environment. This semester, we are trying to make these more frequent like once a month, because we want to be comfortable growing, learning, and performing together.
Taylor: I went to Scorch’s showcase last year and it was great. I noticed you had guest performers, AfroDescent and a singer, does this mean that students can reach out to Scorch for a potential guest performance?
Jayne: Yes! Our showcase is not just for our Scorch performances and we hope freelancers, performers, singers, and other artists and groups at Loyola will reach out to join our showcase. We are really grateful that people and other groups from Loyola are willing to come and experience the showcase with us.
Taylor: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Jayne: I would like to say that Scorch is fun, low maintenance, and honestly, it’s the least stressful part of my week. College can get really stressful for some people and I think it’s important to a lot of other people on my team. Scorch is a welcoming environment and anyone is open to try out, and I hope to see more people joining in spring semester!
For more information, visit Loyola’s Scorch page and Scorch’s Instagram:
