2020 startet mit einem genialen Workshop für Euch. Haag(NL) und Husalia(DE) haben uns bereits in 2019 mit einem grandiosen Impuls beglückt und wir holen sie zurück für einen ganzen Workshop. Hier die Wichtigen Infos:

Presenter Bio’s

Haag is a Rotterdam based rigger who hosts weekly jams and various social and educational events at the Ellipsis Rope Studio. He has been teaching rope for several years now and has hosted a large number of international presenters who have influenced his style of tying immensely. Haag is a self-proclaimed rope nerd with a focus on safety, knowledge/experience-based improvisation, high paced tying, dynamic movement, and creativity. He has a very technical approach to rope which is complemented by his dance background, psychology studies and various hobbies that incorporate fine motor skills.

Husalia started her rope journey in Berlin in 2015 and over time she explored the scenes in England and France. She is a ballroom and latin dancer for more than 17 years and has an extensive background in gymnastics. With this knowledge she will share her insights with regard to tying in movement, body awareness and balance.

For Whom?

This workshop is best suited for couples who have experience tying with each other. The workshop is intended for people who no longer identify themselves as beginners and have attended bondage workshop(s) in the past. Many of the exercises can be adjusted to facilitate different skill levels and attendees have the option to focus on the fields that are most relevant or more interesting to them. This workshop is presented in English but the presenters also understand Dutch and German if people understand but do not speak English. Our workshops are not competitions and we expect and encourage people to stay within their (and our) limits of skill and comfort. Please feel free to be direct and honest and expect the same from us.

(Skill) requirements for (r)iggers and (m)odels

• Ability to communicate limits and wishes to your partner (r/m)
• Being comfortable with tying/being tied closely by/with their partner (r/m)
• Basic knowledge of safety (r/m) and which physical symptoms related to the three major nerves of the arms (r/m)
• Experience with tying/being tied in various structures that cover the upper and lower body (r/m)
• Basic understanding of the concepts: „reverse tension“, „cinching“ and „frictions“. (r) (a handout clarifying possible differences in local terminology will be provided before the workshop)
• Correct execution of a non-collapsing single column tie (r)
• Understand and able to communicate in basic English (r/m).

Equipment requirements

• At least 8 lengths of natural fiber rope
• Comfortable clothes for tying
• (optional) Something to take notes (see photography and recording)
• (optional) Some snacks/ water bottle to stay energized and hydrated

Goal

The goal of this workshop is to approach rope as a “way of thinking” in which we explore our internal logic, rhythm and past experiences and apply these to our rope, movement, and dynamics with our partners. Through introspection and evaluation of our motivations, we will further our skills, insights, and connections to improve our experiences with rope while moving away from predetermined patterns and dogma.

Trigger Warnings and inclusiveness

The content of this workshop will include (to varying extent) facets of: rough body manipulation, power dynamics and objectification. NO ONE IS REQUIRED TO INCORPORATE THESE, but they will be discussed and demonstrated. We will offer alternatives for those who wish to exclude certain practices.
We encourage inclusiveness and consent in our workshops. We strive for body acceptance, oppose discrimination against anyone’s sexual orientation, and promote respect for people’s gender identity and personal boundaries.

Schedule – 09.02.2020

12:00 – Doors open
Please take enough time to settle, say hi, prepare your spot and warm up.
13:00 – Start of workshop/ Block 1
*After an introduction and overview of the workshop we will start Block 1, focussed on setting goals and intentions, (re)analyzing and practicing basic rope techniques and exploring rope placement options.
15:30 – Hour-long break
16:30 – Block 2
Mostly floor-based and standing, exercises expanding on rope handling, basic pattern construction, how to move ourselves and our partners with rope.
19:00 – End of the workshop

Workshop Content

The content will be focussed on the technical execution of minimal patterns which can then be easily adjusted and expanded to fit the needs of the individual attendees with regard to comfort, aesthetics, physical variations, and internal logic. There is a lot of room for creativity and exploration. Switching is allowed only after consulting with the presenters because of the high density of information. Expect an active workshop with room for questions and individual feedback.

The following subjects will be covered in throughout this workshop:

Expectation management, risk awareness and communication:

We focus on setting expectations through mutual awareness of our personal risk profiles, interpersonal preferences, and communication styles. Through rope we engage in very diverse ways of connecting to others. Many people have developed skills and techniques to further facilitate these connections through different ways of negotiation tactics and communication (or lack thereof). We wish to discuss our views, motivation, and approaches on these matters to share insights and encourage self-reflection to better one’s own tactics.

Physiology, kinesthetics and mechanics

Knowledge on how the body (and brain) works and moves can highly improve our rope skills, confidence, and scene dynamics. Through better awareness, we are also able to improve our risk assessment before and during a session and to make constructional adjustments to suit the models (instead of adjusting the models to a predetermined tie).

Rope Handling & Body manipulation:

Our style of tying is based on dynamic and fast movement. We incorporate a lot of tricks and techniques to ensure the flow of our scene, constructional integrity of our ties, continued engagement with our partners, and the desired level of (dis)comfort and safety while tying. This content can be highly detailed and personal and aims to raise awareness on how we move ourselves and move with our partners (and their ropes).

Rhythmic movement and pace:

The pace of tying and movement is heavily influenced by an internal or external rhythm. Regular repetition of sound can improve our fluid movement, give many unconscious cues that help us move with (or against) our partner and encourage movement visualization to further facilitate muscle memory. Very often however, we tie in silence, but through movement we can either convey or distort expectations while tying. Through a series of exercises we can become more aware of this effect and how we can adjust this to fit the scene, focus our attention and quick decision making. Many of our exercises can be done standing or on the floor.

Rigorous and Vigorous Rope

In the end, what we (the presenters) enjoy most in rope is the engagement with our partner through the variety in activity, severity, and intensity of force. This can range from caring (while playing with deep touch pressure, mesmerizing flow of movement and touch), to rough play (characterized by physical impact, disbalance, and sudden changes). By incorporating techniques and theory we want to encourage exploration of this spectrum to further our experiences and connections.

Notes, Photography and recording

We encourage people to take notes during this workshop, though it is not required if prefer not to. We do not allow the use of laptops while we are explaining our material because the sound of keystrokes distracts us while we are speaking. If you do want to use a laptop, please do so after our explanations (before starting an exercise or during the breaks).
We allow pictures of your own work and model (with consent), but do not allow pictures with people in the background, nor of us (the presenters). We do not allow video- or audio recordings during the workshop.

Location

Fourelements Kinbaku-Lounge Königswinter.

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