Kintsugi and Shibari

Kintsugi is a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with golden lacquer with the idea that it has become more beautiful because of it having been broken and put back together. In this class we explore how we can take this philosophy and apply it to a rope scene. We will utilize stress, suffering and pain to "break" our bottoms and then, with care and patience, put them back together again.

Intermediate

Prerequisites: Experience in rope for bottom and top is highly recommended. 

A Way Too Detailed Class on Torsions

All Levels

Prerequisites: Single Column, double column, and hojo cuff for floor work. Strong fundamentals and experience in partials if suspending. 

Creating a suspension sequence without a chest harness 

This collaborative class starts with positions in mind and then utilizes single columns, double columns and other fundamentals to create shapes without a chest harness.

Intermediate

Prerequisite: Non-collapsible single column, double column, and uplines. Hard point if suspending.

Rope: 4-6 8m pieces of rope

A Lazy Rigger's Guide to Tears

Torture rope does not have to be hard, sweaty, or complicated (for the rigger). After a review of safety, we will show three basic elements that can be used to bring tears and pain. We will include a positional sequence that requires minimal effort and yields lots of hurt.

Intermediate

Prerequisites: none for floor work, chest harness and how to secure an upline for positional sequence 

Rope: 3-5 8m pieces of rope, hard point for sequence

Active Bottoming for Everybody

One of us is a former endurance athlete and ballerina, the other is an avid gamer and taco enthusiast. One is a masochist, the other...is not. At all. Even a little. As switches, we both bottom for rope but have very different bodies, flexibilities, and pain tolerances. Knowing your body, mind, and motive is key to rope bottoming and together we discuss helpful ways to learn, and grow, with your strengths and quirks. We will also discuss and demo ways to use body manipulation to maximize a tie’s endurance, stretches that target problem areas, and how we have used lab time to help each other grow in rope.

All Levels

A Minimalist Take on Classic Positions

Sometimes less can be more. This class will highlight how simplicity and creativity can lead to connection between the rigger and bottom and allow partners to focus on the play, not the pattern. We will take you on a journey that will utilize the agura, gote, strappado, and pillow hands tie all using one rope. Later, we will add an upline to achieve different sensations and manipulate the body.

Beginner/Intermediate 

Prerequisites: Non-collapsible single column. Recommended to know how to tie an upline.

Rope: 2-3 8m pieces of rope.

Safety and Beginning Suspension 

All rope suspensions start with the same basic components: risk awareness, uplines, and someone to suspend. In this class, we will first cover basic suspension safety and mitigating risk. Next, we will teach a variety of ways to tie uplines and discuss reasons and "the whys" of each choice. Body placements, joint and muscle safety, and warm-ups for both the top and bottom will also be covered. Finally, we will demonstrate and talk through a partial suspension sequence discussing the purpose of our choices, showing options for conveying different feelings and emotions, and highlighting different communication and risk mitigation strategies.

Beginner/Intermediate 

Prerequisites: Anyone is welcome to learn safety but we ask that only people with suspendable harnesses learn up lines. 

Tying with Intent

You don’t need a large catalog of patterns to have a variety of scenes. Through body manipulation, pacing, and being aware of your weaknesses, we will show how one simple tie can be used to convey a variety of emotions and types of connection.

Beginner

Prerequisites: none

Rope: 1 8m piece of rope

Futomomo: The Tie Taken For Granted 

Futomomo is one of the first ties many riggers learn however it often doesn’t get revisited. In this class, we will cover different types of futomomos, both suspendable and non-suspendable, and discuss different opportunities, advantages, and considerations to take when choosing which futo to use.

Beginner/Intermediate 

Prerequisite: Knowledge of at least one futo is helpful but not necessary. Uplines if suspending.

Rope: 3 pieces of 8m rope. 1 4m piece of rope is suggested but not necessary. 

Building an Agura with Fundamentals 

The agura is a simple, versatile position that can be used for many types of play. After reviewing fundamentals and discussing the agura position, we will build a simple agura tie and show a few of the many ways you can work an agura into your play. From bedroom bondage to torture and even suspension, the agura is a useful building block that can be used often in your rope journey.

Beginner/ Intermediate

Prerequisites: None. This is a beginner friendly, all levels class

Rope: 2-3 8m pieces of rope.

Suspenable Agura 

We will show our take and tweaks on a suspendable agura that can sustain multiple transitions. This tie can be loaded from many places allowing many shapes to be achieved. We will show how a very structurally sound tie can be built out of very basic elements and highlight ways to suspend the agura and use it in transitional sequences. (Tie-along)

Intermediate

Prerequisite: Non-collapsible single column. Uplines if suspending 

Rope:4-6 8m pieces of rope. 

Non-Rope:

Positive Behavior Reinforcement and Power Exchange