Ariella Rush
Encyclopedia
Ariella Maree Rush (born Mary Marie Stoehr June 9, 1956 in Canton, Ohio
) is an American ballroom dancer noted for dazzling and complex dance routines with her various professional dance partners, the most notable being Keith Knox, from 1976 through 1981. Rush and Knox were best known for their tango
, cha-cha
and mambo
routines, as well as, high-energy swing
dancing. Rush made appearances all over the United States
including Disney World in Orlando, Florida
, Universal Studios
, Six Flags Over Georgia
, Six Flags Over Texas
, the Roseland Ballroom
in New York City
and the Fox Theatre
in Atlanta, Georgia
. Rush is also credited under other aliases, including Arianna, Aria Rose, and Maree Champion.
Rush and Knox competed in professional ballroom dancing, and were named the 1979 Southeast Rising Star Champions at the National Dance Championships held at the Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, GA. This win qualified them to compete in the most prestigious of all international dance competitions, Blackpool Dance Festival
; however, an injury forced Rush's early retirement.
, and started dance and piano lessons at the age of five. She actively participated in talent shows throughout her childhood, appearing as a very young guest numerous times on Freddie Miller
's television broadcasts, Stars of Tomorrow and Dance Party. She briefly competed in beauty pageants, winning runner up to the NGA Fair Queen at the North Georgia Fairgrounds in 1970. She later became a model and professional dancer, and taught ballroom dancing at Fred Astaire Dance Studios
, in addition to performing and competing.
, North Carolina
, and Tennessee
from 1994 to 2000. She is most known for her creation, direction, and production of a weekly adventure series called The Highroad South which began in 1998, and aired in the Alltel cable system until December, 2000. Reruns of The Highroad continued, by popular demand, for two years after Rush shut down production for personal reasons.
In the 2000s, Rush promoted musicians and bands and was involved in music video
choreography
.
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) is an American ballroom dancer noted for dazzling and complex dance routines with her various professional dance partners, the most notable being Keith Knox, from 1976 through 1981. Rush and Knox were best known for their tango
Tango (dance)
Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....
, cha-cha
Cha-cha-cha (dance)
The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953...
and mambo
Mambo (dance)
Mambo .In the late 1940s, Perez Prado came up with the dance for the mambo music and became the first person to market his music as "mambo". After Havana, Prado moved his music to Mexico, where his music and the dance was adopted. The original mambo dance was characterized by freedom and...
routines, as well as, high-energy swing
Swing (dance)
"Swing dance" is a group of dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s-1950s, although the earliest of these dances predate swing jazz music. The best known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that originated in Harlem and is still danced today...
dancing. Rush made appearances all over the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
including Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia
Six Flags Over Georgia is a theme park located west of Atlanta, in unincorporated Cobb County. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas....
, Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas
Six Flags Over Texas is a major amusement park located in Arlington, Texas , east of Fort Worth and about west of Dallas. It is the oldest park of the Six Flags chain. The park opened on August 5, 1961 following just a year of construction and an initial investment of US$10 million by real estate...
, the Roseland Ballroom
Roseland Ballroom
The Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and the Fox Theatre
Fox Theatre (Atlanta)
The Fox Theatre , a former movie palace, is a performing arts venue located at 660 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, and is the centerpiece of the Fox Theatre Historic District....
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Rush is also credited under other aliases, including Arianna, Aria Rose, and Maree Champion.
Rush and Knox competed in professional ballroom dancing, and were named the 1979 Southeast Rising Star Champions at the National Dance Championships held at the Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, GA. This win qualified them to compete in the most prestigious of all international dance competitions, Blackpool Dance Festival
Blackpool Dance Festival
The 8-day Blackpool Dance Festival is the world's first and most famous annual ballroom dance competition of international significance, held in the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, England since 1920. It is also the largest ballroom competition: in 2003, 1539 couples from 54...
; however, an injury forced Rush's early retirement.
Early life
Rush grew up as Marie Stoehr in Marietta, GeorgiaMarietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
, and started dance and piano lessons at the age of five. She actively participated in talent shows throughout her childhood, appearing as a very young guest numerous times on Freddie Miller
Freddie Miller
Freddie G. Miller was a broadcaster and television personality in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Miller worked for Atlanta television station WXIA-TV from the 1950s to the 1970s...
's television broadcasts, Stars of Tomorrow and Dance Party. She briefly competed in beauty pageants, winning runner up to the NGA Fair Queen at the North Georgia Fairgrounds in 1970. She later became a model and professional dancer, and taught ballroom dancing at Fred Astaire Dance Studios
Fred Astaire Dance Studios
Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Inc. is a ballroom dance franchise chain of studios in the United States and Canada, named after a famous dancer Fred Astaire. It is headquartered in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, USA....
, in addition to performing and competing.
Later years
After retiring from dancing and modeling, Rush produced programming for television broadcast in GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
from 1994 to 2000. She is most known for her creation, direction, and production of a weekly adventure series called The Highroad South which began in 1998, and aired in the Alltel cable system until December, 2000. Reruns of The Highroad continued, by popular demand, for two years after Rush shut down production for personal reasons.
In the 2000s, Rush promoted musicians and bands and was involved in music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
.