Trish (Ryan) Cristiano | Woman of Midland

Trish Cristiano’s time at Midland University was “life-changing”. When Cristiano was hired as the Head Spirit Coordinator and Director of Dance in 2012, she had no idea what a legacy the dance program would have and her pivotal role in that legacy. In her six years at Midland, Trish grew the dance program from 4 dancers to 55+ dancers. In 2014, Cristiano organized the first ever GPAC Conference competition where she and her team received GPAC Conference Title credits each consecutive year until her departure in 2017. Most notably, and most excitingly, Trish led the Midland University dance team to its first ever NAIA Competitive Dance National Championship in 2017 where she also won the inaugural Competitive Dance Coach of the year award. We can also thank Trish for bringing dance to official sport status as she served on the first ever competitive dance executive committee and rulebook/scoresheet committees that helped make that change happen. In addition to coaching, Cristiano choreographed the musicals at Midland from 2012-2015, with her favorite production being “The Wedding Singer”. Currently, Trish is working as the VP of Operations at TRIBE 99. TRIBE 99 is a world-renowned dance company that provides a range of services from dance camps and clinics to custom choreography and hosts the largest Collegiate Dance Recruiting Combine in the world. Trish oversees all aspects of the company’s operations and currently manages 30 choreographers in the Choreo-Connect Agency, where she works to connect them to dance teams all over the world. Cristiano also serves as the Operations Director for the Executive Board of the National Dance Coaches Association which provides advocacy for dance team coaches globally. Midland is lucky to still get to work closely with Trish, utilizing her choreography in the dance program. Cristiano says, “It gives me great pride in seeing what our Midland dance team alumni are doing in their own communities. Many of the alumni not only have full time positions in their respective areas of study, but also perform, coach and continue to teach dance to this day. Seeing one of my dancers, Erin (Markham) Sibbald ‘15, take over the Head Coach position has been a full circle moment for me. She is the full package as a coach. Erin cares a great deal for the dancers both in their talents and as people. I have no doubt she will see an incredible amount of success.”