Carina studied classical music and contemporary dance as a young girl in Gothenburg, Sweden. Later, she included studies in Latin American, African and Spanish dance, and began to realise that she could learn about the world through the art forms of other cultures. At 19, she started working with the organization of events and the promotion of contemporary and world music, in conjunction with continuing dance research and performance. The educational side of this work involved the organisation of workshops and performance groups for a major annual city festival between 1984 and 1991. Here she was also involved in choreography and costume design for the participating groups. These years provided her with an invaluable range of experience at a relatively young age.

Towards the end of 1991, Carina moved to London to study formal calligraphy and soon began studying Raqs Sharqi with Anne Ashcroft. After seeing Suraya Hilal and Company perform Colours of Cairo, she was sure this was the direction she wanted to develop in. Raqs Sharqi seemed to unify the beauty and power she had found elements of in other dance forms, and the clarity and elegance of the underlying structures in both the dance and the music fuelled a love that has endured and deepened. She has continued to study with Suraya since, with a break for extensive world travelling during 1993 and 1994.

Parallel to her work with sculpture, Carina has taught Raqs Sharqi in Brighton since 1996, where a lively dance community is now forming. She does ongoing performance work both solo and in partnership with Jane Manze.