Carrara Nour

Liza and Billy’s Armenian and Puerto Rican Wedding at the Estate of John’s Lake

My philosophy when it comes to weddings is simple: I like to work with couples that I’d personally hang out with as friends. Liza and Billy were no exception. When I met them, I knew we’d hit it off great. They were fun, down-to-earth, and wickedly funny. They were all about laughing and enjoying life together. Most importantly, I could instantly tell that they wanted a wedding that was not only beautiful but enjoyable for all their guests. You know those cookie-cutter weddings where nobody dances and everyone goes home early? Liza and Billy wanted NONE of that.

And not only did they want their wedding to be fun. They also wanted it to be culturally rich and meaningful. With …

On Dancing Like a Lady (Notes from Miss Carrara’s Sparkle Charm School)

Have you ever felt like you were born in the wrong era? I tend to be an old soul when it comes to a lot of my values and the things I find beautiful in art and dance. I love watching vintage belly dance clips, collect old handmade bra and belt sets, and often feel nostalgic for eras way before my time.

One “Old World” idea that’s become increasingly attractive to me is the idea of being a lady. Being classy. Channeling femininity through sweetness and style. Yesterday, I found myself looking through some of my boyfriend’s books on pinup art, and what struck me in the old Elvgren paintings was that even the most popular sex symbols of the …

Learn About Norooz (the Persian New Year)

If you’ve been to a Persian restaurant or friend’s house within the last few weeks, you might have noticed a table with colorful springtime objects on it. You might have even been invited to a Norooz (or Nowruz) party. That could only mean one thing: it’s time to celebrate the Persian New Year!

Norooz (also spelled Nowruz, and literally meaning “New Day”) marks both the beginning of Spring and the beginning of the year in the Iranian calendar. Each year on the March equinox, usually around 3/21, Iranian and Indo-Iranian families get together and celebrate this season of rebirth and good luck.

While every family and every cultural group celebrates Norooz in their own unique way, no Norooz celebration is …

Brittany & Hadi’s Lebanese/American Wedding at the Golden Bear Club in Keene’s Point/Windermere

Once upon a time, a smart, beautiful American girl moved to Dubai in search of a new career and a new life. She met a handsome Lebanese man at a Lebanese nightclub, and they got engaged on vacation in Venice.

I instantly fell in love with Brittany and Hadi, and could not pass up the chance to perform some Lebanese-style belly dance at their 12/29 wedding at the Golden Bear Club in the Keene’s Pointe neighborhood of Windermere! They are such a cool couple, and Brittany and I bonded over her interesting stories about life in Dubai and our commentary on Lebanese fashion trends. (As Brittany said, “If it looks uncomfortable, it’s Lebanese!”) Not to mention, I’m partial to Lebanese-style …

Beauty is a Light in the Heart

(Title inspired by Khalil Gibran)

I’m not going to tell you how or where I got the inspiration for this post. It could have been a recent interaction with a client, or a little birdie could have whispered in my ear while I was out on a walk. That is neither here nor there.

But I’ve been thinking a lot about beauty lately, as it’s always present, and always inspiring me to dance and give each performance my all. I see beauty in a room full of smiling people; in a bride trying some new moves with me on the dance floor; in bringing people from different cultures together through music and dance. I see a whole lot of beauty …

Be Everything to Someone…

“Be everything to someone, not something for everyone.”

This is my credo, my mantra, my entire manifesto in a single sentence.

I could end this post right here if I really wanted to. But finding the ideal audience for your art deserves much more than a single blurb. And I write novels when I’ve had too much coffee.

This post was born out of 7 years of unsolicited business advice.

When you’re an entrepreneur, everyone’s a business consultant.

When you’re an artist, everyone’s a critic.

When you’re an entertainer, everyone’s Simon Freaking Cowell.

If I were “doing my job right,” I would be one hell of a Bollywood dancing, stilt walking, snake charming, fire eating, poi-spinning, hula hooping, contortionist belly …

Pricing Transparency: New Year’s Eve Belly Dance Rates

Everyone’s shopping for cocktail dresses, making their reservations, and possibly even making their resolutions! It’s that time of the year again. Time to start planning those New Year’s celebrations!

Glamorous live entertainment is always in style, and New Year’s Eve is one of the most popular times to hire a professional Orlando belly dancer to dazzle the crowd. But wait! Before you start making those calls…a brief pop quiz.

Question: What’s the lowest price you should expect to pay for a professional belly dancer in Orlando to perform a 20-30 minute show at a holiday party during the peak hours of 11 p.m. – 1 a.m. on New Year’s Eve?

A) $100
B) $200
C) $400

If you guessed C …

Three Cheers for Emerald Green: The Pantone 2013 Color of the Year is Here!

Each year, to the delight of Orlando’s wedding professionals, Pantone releases its Color of the Year, which will influence color trends in fashion, design, food and, you guessed it, weddings. This year, it’s Emerald Green!

Emerald is a color I’ve loved long before it became the Next Big Thing. It looks great on fair-skinned, blue-eyed brunettes (that’s me!), and the color is so quintessentially belly dance to me! As you can see, I’m just wild about this emerald green vintage bedlah that originally belonged to my first teacher Careesah and was made by Ayshe in NYC (with the help of Turkish belly dancer Eva Cernik).

Many wedding designers are influenced by color trends in fashion, and green has slowly been …

Top 5 Reasons to Hire an Orlando Belly Dancer for Your Holiday Party

: Carrara strikes a pose before dancing at Living Morocco’s holiday party in Orlando

Yeah, I know. It’s Black Friday, and I’m about to sound like everyone else encouraging you to buy something this Christmas. How cliche of me. But as today marks the unofficial start of the Holiday season, it only feels appropriate to talk about why a fun, family-friendly belly dance show might make a great addition to your Christmas party this year.

Lend me your ears, sparkle fans! Here are my personal Top 5 reasons to give the gift of belly dance this Christmas:

1. It’s Sparkly and Festive: Let’s face it: the Holidays are no time for subtlety. You’ve decked the halls (and the walls, and the …

Tiffany & Tier’s Wedding at Lake Mary Events Center

I don’t like to play favorites with my clients, because I honestly love every event and EVERY audience I dance for – but there are some brides I just click with from Day One. Tiffany was one of them.

When I do a wedding, nothing “jazzes” me more than working with a confident, creative and detail-oriented bride who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to articulate her preferences and throw her own ideas into the mix. Don’t get me wrong, I equally love the chilled-out, low-maintenance brides who don’t say a peep, let me do my thing, and love whatever I do! But it’s a lot of fun to work toward a creative vision with someone who thinks a …