Carrara Nour
Belly Dancer for Weddings and Events in Orlando

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 …

(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, 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 …

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 …

This post is for all my belly dance and creative freelancer friends who just can’t seem to take a break. And yes, I include myself in this statement.

This morning, I read an op/ed piece in the NY Times about the American epidemic of “busy-ness” that really struck a chord with me. In this article, Tim Kreider suggests that a great deal of our society’s busy-ness  may be self-imposed and even self-serving, as many people feel guilty when they’re not occupied, and validated by being “in demand” at all hours of the day. (You can read the whole article here: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/30/the-busy-trap/).

I know the feeling.

This past weekend, I had some time off, and laughed out loud as I caught …