Alisa Damholt’s ’04 path to becoming an Earlhamite was unique.
“Earlham took quite a chance on me,” she said. “They accepted me without a GED or diploma. I came to college when I was 17, and it changed my life.”
Damholt has since earned her master’s degree and built a successful career as a social worker and leader.
When she recently opened her job search looking for director positions, she found her alma mater hiring the director of counseling services for the first time in 20 years. “I thought this would be a great opportunity to be in service to a school that I loved and was so formative for me,” she said.
Coming back to Earlham also allowed Damholt to reconnect with Dance Alloy, the student-run organization that originally fostered her love of dance.
“Dance Alloy introduced me to dance. I was not a kid who grew up taking dance. I also did not have a typical dancer physique,” she said. “Coming to Earlham, I wasn’t rejected because of my body type or because I moved in a different way.”
And she followed that passion throughout her career, working as both a dancer and choreographer for dance companies. “Dance Alloy lit a fire, a passion for dance, that turned into something professional and wonderful for me,” she said.
With organization and preservation of history as her primary goal, Damholt created a digital archive and extensive handbook using information and items gathered from the college archives and former members and supporters of Dance Alloy. Now in its 35th year as an organization, Damholt wanted all current and future members of Dance Alloy to know their history and have the foundation necessary to successfully run performances. The handbook also allowed Dance Alloy to build on their processes, and they introduced several Google forms to track metrics of dancers and increase communication with participants.
Upon her return to Earlham, Damholt met with the students of Dance Alloy and pitched herself as a supportive faculty member. Damholt filled the advisor role when there was a vacancy, and promised to help Dance Alloy complete necessary “fundamental shifts,” and find new ways to increase membership so the organization can grow. Hancock Room in Runyan Center, the official practice space for Dance Alloy, was completely reconceptualized, with photographs, articles and other visual mediums representing the past, present and future of the organization displayed. A dedicated costume closet was added as well.
“Having a physical space tells these students that what they do is important,” Damholt explained. “Their work should be as visual as a student athlete’s.” Damholt also worked to update shows for a modern audience and dancers.
She started offering “cleaning services” to choreographers interested in utilizing this new option, lending a final eye on their dances with focus on creative details like blocking and angles. She also worked with Dance Alloy to bring the organization’s first ever “sensory friendly” show to campus this past fall. This edition was born out of a desire to increase accessibility for students, faculty and community members.
To make this matinee show sensory friendly, house lights were kept at half and on the entire show, sound decibels were reduced by a third and all types of self-soothing behaviors were encouraged.
“There were no stipulations on the audience. We didn’t say they couldn’t clap or yell. But we wanted it to be less intense so we could see if we could meet a need,” she said.
For Karissa Hauke ’26, co-convener of Dance Alloy, these changes have all been welcomed.
“Ali loves Dance Alloy, and I can see that by the way she uses her time and offers us guidance,” she said. “I really love to see her involvement. She is so willing to communicate and talk with us and have us involved in all decisions.”
Both Hauke and Damholt came to Dance Alloy with no previous dance experience. And for Damholt, that is what makes this organization so special and unique.
“Dance Alloy says come as you are and create,” she said. ■
Story by Kelsey Mackey/Photos by Tsitsi Makufa and Kate Young