Introduction
to Henna
at
ABDC 2017
By Stella Marroquin
Workshop photos by Daniel Kelch
Stella performing at ABDC
Photo by Vance Strickland
The Austin Belly Dance Convention (held deep in the heart
of Texas!), is one of my favorite belly dance events!
After several years of attending the ABDC, this year - 2017
- I decided to share some of my artistic skills and I applied
to teach an Introduction to Henna workshop! ABDC has so
much to offer, however, I noticed that there were not any
henna classes being offered - most likely due to lack of
instructors. Also, I have been attending ABDC for some
years now and grew to know the community on a personal
level, and I feel comfortable with the environment. I learned
how to create my own henna paste and the history of henna
at a belly dance convention several years ago. I thought it
would be nice to share that joy with others at ABDC.
I was granted the position and it was so
much fun for myself as well as the students
who participated! Our henna workshop
was first thing Saturday morning, starting
at 9:45. So, I had a refreshments table laid
out for all participants to enjoy: fruit juices,
bottled water, pastries, fruit, bagels and cream
cheese. While nibbling on our snacks, we
started the session discussing what Henna is,
what the name means in various languages,
and other names that are associated with it
such as Mendhi. Next was a brief scientific
explanation of the biology of henna, what
it is composed of, and how these biological
elements react with the chemistry make up of
other elements to create a natural dye which
44
The Belly Dance Chronicles
October 2017