PAGOADA INTENSIVE
In this pre-event intensive, you’ll learn the requirements, techniques, tips and tricks to fabricate your very own ROPECRAFT-style pagoda to take home OR build one for us all to enjoy for a reduced cost! Learn how we modified the original Jim Duvall design into three different pieces of equipment and then build one! “Build Your Own” Participants will leave the intensive with a fully functional pagoda that is ready for play and the plans to do it again. “Learn To Build” participants will build a Pagoda 2.0 for the event and leave with the plans for all three projects! Choose your project from the the options below and bring a friend! It is possible to complete this project without a second person assisting but you will find many steps easier with a friend to help. We can help pair up unpaired people!
PAGODA PROJECT OPTIONS
- Pagoda 2.0 is the variant as seen at previous Ropecrafts. Footprint on the ground is 8’x4′ and stands just over 8′ tall.
- Pagoda 3.0 is a smaller variant with a footprint on the ground of 4.5’x4′ and standing just over 8′ tall.
- For those with ceilings lower than 9′ there will be design modifications presented that will reduce the overall height without reducing the finished functionality.
All variants will break down into three components for transport and storage that will require no tools to install or remove.
The presentation will cover a brief tool safety survey, fabrication of the guides and aids needed to complete the construction, guided step by step instructions to fabricate the individual components and in full assembly of those components. We will discuss finishing options (i.e. paints vs stains) but due to time and space constraints we will be restricted in what finishes can be applied.
Those that wish to bring their own tools will need the following:
Compound mitre saw – minimum of 10″
Drill with star bit and 1/8″ drill bit
Circular saw
Router with square bit
Sander
Square
Wood clamps
All of these tools will be available to anyone that does not have them!
Doors open for registration at 8:45 for a 9 am start.
Tickets are available only to registered event attendees at: http://pagodaintensive.bpt.me
ShesANatural and Conroy have condensed their BOTTOMING IN ROPE 101, 201, 301, 401 and MODELING IN ROPE CLASS SERIES for this Essentials in Rope Bottoming Class.
This class is focused for and with rope bottoms.
The information shared in this class will cover from the beginning, all the way to dynamic transition suspension.
From
an introduction to rope bottoming,
vetting your possible rope play partner,
negotiation suggestions,
preparing to be in rope mentally and physically,
some insight to good pain and bad pain,
communicating in rope,
breathing,
weight distribution,
adjustment and management
so you can stay in control of your own body
even when you are tied up,
all the way to little tips and tricks of muscle control and body positioning when going through transitions while in suspension.
Of course, everyone’s rope journey is different and there is not one twue way to be a rope bottom, but ShesANatural and Conroy will share things that they have learned through the experience of tying together and with others for nearly 4500 hours of being in rope or having rope in their hands.
If times allows, the final demo is a dynamic transition sequence where ShesANatural and Conroy ask you to come right up and get involved, asking questions throughout about what is happening, how it feels, what ShesANatural is doing to stay in control and process for sustainability. Afterwards attendees can try the same sequence or they can work together with their partner on a tie or a position that they find the most difficult so that ShesANatural can offer some suggestions on finding more success.
Tying pairs are invited to attend and tie together.
A non-collapsing single column tie, a suspendable chest harness, a suspendable hip harness, a suspendable futomomo, upline management and secure tie offs are helpful. If you cannot tie all of these pre-requisite ties, we invite to attend and tie to your skill level and then make sure that you have a notebook and pen so that you can take notes on those things that may help you along as your rope journey advances.
Solo attendees are invited to attend and audit the class. Ties and upline proficiency will be assessed by the presenters prior to allowing suspensions for the safety of attendees.
Please bring
a barrier for use between you and the floor.
a water bottle for hydration
your notebook and pen.
If you are attending with the intention of suspension, please bring
at least 8 hanks of suspension rated rope,
at least 4 weight rated climbing carabiners
and if you have one, a shibari ring.
All uplines will go to carabiners for the safety of attendees.
Please keep in mind that the information that is being shared is focused for and with rope bottoms. Presenters will not be teaching patterned ties, nor upline management nor proper tie offs. If your ties and uplines do not fall within the risk profile of the presenters to allow you to suspend, please know that they will ask you to sit out that particular portion.
Tickets are available only to registered event attendees at: http://shesanaturalintensive.bpt.me
Hands-on learning;
class participants should come with a DSLR that can shoot in manual mode and have a basic understanding of the photographic triangle
Shooting a scene, whether your own or other people’s, requires some unique skills and extra awareness. This class will go over some best practices for shooting rope performances, scenes and play. We’ll discuss negotiating photos with partners, controlling poor light, shooting in tight spaces (bedrooms, hotel rooms, creepy attics…) and anticipating your shot.
We’ll also go over taking photos without interrupting headspace or “ruining the mood,” flattering (or unflattering!) angles, and even using your camera as part of a scene. Bex will share some of her tips and experiences in front of the camera.
In addition to shooting your own scenes, DWL will share some of his tricks for shooting other people’s play. Capturing facial expressions and real emotion, getting your shot without getting in the way, moving around your subjects, and being mindful of other people in a space will all be addressed.
Dungeon-level photography skills – achievement unlocked!
Whether you are a top, a bottom or a switch, yoga is a great way to wake up your mind and body and start the day! Come join Magnolia, a Ballerina turned yogi and experienced rope bottom, as she leads an hour-long yoga routine to help us prepare for a day of knotty education! She will be leading Vinyasa Flow, a style of yoga where poses are synchronized with breath and flow together to become like a dance. This class is suitable for interested people of all skill levels and will include variations of Ashtanga Sun Salutations A, B ,C , Yang poses to build strength and endurance, and Yin poses for flexibility.
Have you been trying to find your perfect futomomo placement, or wondering what a Guatamalan torture tie feels like? This workshop is the place for bottoms to explore in an educational, low-pressure environment where the focus is on you. We’ll talk about some of the challenges bottoms may find in rope, and ways to troubleshoot them, as well as some common solutions and alternatives. Then, grab your stunt top – it’s bottoming lab time! This is your time to troubleshoot those tough ties, or see what something new feels like. Hip rope vs waist rope? Box-ties and chest harnesses? Single futomomo suspensions? Foot cuffs vs ankle cuffs? Let’s play with some rope! This a bottom-focused workshop, but bringing a rigger who you’re comfortable working with is encouraged!
Class Type: Tie-along suspension
Participation: Pairs or groups
We all know the dangers of kink and have heard a variety of BDSM horror stories, such as the dangers of flogging over the kidneys and or the risks of impact on bruises. But are they really true? Join me, a public health practitioner, to explore whether or not the risks we take as fact are really true and how we can address the things that really are risky. We’ll also go over some overlooked safety things – like how you really use those disinfectant wipes you find in the dungeon.
Class Type: Lecture/Discussion
Participation: Solo
You’ve decided that you’re ready to learn suspension? Great! This is the class for you. We are going to teach you to get your bottom in the air with a couple of basic suspension positions but also allowing you some creative license in where you put the rope and how you get them there. We will discuss the positions on a conceptual level and then give them a go.
Class Type: Tie-along suspension
Participation: Pairs or groups
Intermediate Level Class. Hands on class
A futomomo (or ‘fat leg’) is a great way to bind the ankle to thigh to limit mobility for playing. During this hands-on class, M0co and Beemo go over various types of futomomos and show how these ties can be incorporated into your everyday play.
Requirements: 3-8 ropes, 26 to 30 ft in length. The class will need to know how to quickly and safely tie a single column tie.
Class Type: Tie-along floorwork
Participation: Pairs or groups
We love our spontaneous scenes that grow organically, but what if it were also true that you can construct a scene, down to the details, and still have it be fun and sexy? What if, even, the very fact that everyone knows what’s going to happen is what makes it fun and sexy? Consent is not the death of fun and options – it’s the basis for both.
In this workshop, AltBronte will introduce comprehensive opt-in negotiation and how to use it to build hot rope (and other) scenes. She’ll discuss ways of using anticipation and foreknowledge to make the scene hotter and more collaborative, both before play and during, and then demonstrate a scene built on these principles. After this, participants will be invited to negotiate and build a scene using the concepts demonstrated.
Class Type: Discussion with suspension demo
Participation: Solo
Learn how to safely tie your favorite person: you! Learn a few ways to restrain yourself for either preparation for your partner or as the prelude to some romantic “alone time”. Then students will learn how to suspend themselves without the need for a partner. Safety, preparation, methods of quick release, and exploration of the “worst case scenario” will all be discussed before a single student will be suspended.
Class Type: Tie-along suspension
Participation: Solo
In this two part class Lexa will begin with some rope handling drills that will help you practice movement and tension. Tops will then use those skills we are practicing to engage in a single rope tie on their bottoms while telling different stories or conveying different energies through varying tensions, speeds, pressures, and connections. In the second portion, we will be doing an exercise in tensions, frictions and munter hitches. In this portion, Lexa forgoes the patterns and focuses on teaching you to utilize these tools in creative, free form ways. The finished ties will immobilize the bottom, but not in a planned or symmetrical way. Students will fine tune their skills with tensions, frictions and munters while simultaneously learning how to use them in a very organic way that forgoes traditional rope “rules”.
Class Type: Tie-along floorwork
Participation: Pairs or groups
The biggest trick in tying this on any body shape is how you start your lift. Because the primary amount of weight is in the legs starting out in this tie, this can be a hard body lift. To avoid these extreme lifts and possible harm to your rigger, let’s look at the ways we can find your perfect flight in this beautiful and versatile sequence. • Let’s look at thigh band placements for thicker thighs. How many bands will fit on my legs? • To waist rope, or not to waist rope? Pre-reqs: Both riggers and bottoms should be experienced in suspension, be able to communicate through ties, and have safety tools.
Class Type: Tie-along suspension
Participation: Pairs or groups
Naiia and Shakti Bliss will combine their knowledge and personal practice of mindfulness to take you on a journey of enhancing your connection and energetic exchange during rope play and scenes. In this class we will discuss and experiment with how mindfulness practices, meditation and linking your breath to movement can affect your play.
Some of this class will involve partnered activities but it is not necessary to have a partner to attend this class.
What to Bring: At least Four (4) 8m hanks of rope and a someone to tie/be tied by if desired
Hard Points Needed: None
Throughout my rope journey, I have noticed a commonality in pretty much every teacher I have had exposure to. They focused on the subtle changes that could be made to the fundamental components rather than the overall pattern they were teaching. In this class, we will explore how the fundamentals that we use in so many ties can be adjusted to make any tie cleaner, more stable, more effective, and prevent tension changes. Participants will leave with an understanding of how to use these techniques and advance their bondage in aspects of aesthetics, stability, sustainability, and enhance the sensation of being bound for their partners.
Class Type: Tie-along floorwork
Participation: Pairs or groups
The Marionette Suspension is a variation on the popular tie that has been used for everything from Doll Play to Mission: Impossible style performances. With nothing but single-column ties and a few handy carabiners, you can create a sustainable, dynamic, and enjoyable harness either for self- or partner-suspension.
Graydancer will be leading the class step-by-step through the ties, and there should be ample time for everyone who wants to fly to do so. However, the ropes needed are pretty specific:
- Enough rope for a single-column tie tied around the upper torso
- Enough rope for a single-column tie tied around the hips
- Three long (approx. 7m or ~25-30ft) lengths
- Two short (~15ft) lengths
- At least four carabiners (whatever you’re comfortable using; vendors will have them available)
- A suspension ring or “bear claw” or other carabiner rig is optional but not required
This class is suitable for any body or dynamic inclination (top, bottom, etc.). Gray will provide modifications and assistance as necessary during the tie-along portion of the class.
Touch is one of the main ways we communicate in our daily interactions and it is especially important in our play. With touch, you can convey both simple and complex messages. You can make someone feel warm and fuzzy, scared out of their minds, or confused. In this class, we will break down the many aspects of this powerful tool through rope and the various ways you can use them together. Through discussion and practice we will explore the who, what, when, where, why, and how of touch in play.
Class Type: Tie-along floorwork
Participation: Pairs or groups
There are so many variations of the box tie (takate kote or “TK” or gote), a tie which is the foundation of Japanese bondage. The basic components of a box tie are necessary to keep the integrity of the tie. This class will share the common version of a basic 2 rope box tie and break it in to 4 sections for ease of learning. It will provide a general understanding of structure, tension and safety with respect to making sure that your frictions are like rocks in the box tie.
Class Type: Tie-along floorwork
Participation: Pairs or groups
A class focused on an energetic as well as a power dynamic during rope. Diving deep in to the role of a rope bottom and how to hold space for your top and give back as a bottom as well as forming boundaries to stay safe, aware and responsible for your safety as a bottom. Additional therapeutic movements to help lubricate joints, stretch muscles and stay aware in the body while bottoming.
Class Type: Tie-along floorwork
Participation: Pairs or groups
A lot of us would never consider having unprotected sex with a new partner, but woudn’t think twice about using a single tail that can draw blood on a first play date. If your play involves any sort of body fluids, or you play in public spaces where other’s play does, you should take this course. There is a lot outdated and flat out incorrect information when it comes to the proper protocols for dealing with bloodborne pathogens in our community. In this class I will teach the most up to date and thorough ways to not only protect ourselves and our partners, but those that will share space with us as well. Even the most experienced kinkster will likely learn some valuable information from this class. Included in this class will be downloadable notes and links to suggested equipment.
Class Type: Lecture
Participation: Solo
We all have a huge range of skills and abilities we bring to our scenes. But too often we hear amazing bottoms focus on what they can’t do. Whether your elbows touch or inversions make your lightheaded, you have things you bring to rope and recognizing those can help you and your top to build better scene. This class will be a facilitated discussion on how we find our own strengths in rope and approach our bottoming and negotiations from a place of “here’s what I can do” instead of “here’s what I can’t.”
Class Type: Lecture
Participation: Solo
The classic image of the rigger kneeling behind the bottom and wrapping their arms comfortably around them is a very pretty one… but it’s not the only way to tie and handle rope. AltBronte has spent years developing an active style of tying that is well-suited to smaller tops tying larger bottoms, but it can be fun for anyone! Learn to think beyond static tying and use all the limbs and movement you have to tie while maintaining connection and energy. There will also be some classic rope handling skills and drills. Come dressed to MOVE!
Class Type: Tie-along floorwork
Participation: Pairs or groups
In this class Lexa teaches the skills needed to perform low suspensions and partial suspensions without the need for a TK or complicated patterns. These suspensions and partials will be done in a way to avoid most major nerve bundles to minimize risk and allow for more movement in the rope. Students should have a basic understanding of non-collapsible single and double column ties.
Class Type: Tie-along suspension
Participation: Pairs or groups
Advanced Students for hands on, auditing all levels
There is limited participation space available in this class.
One of the most difficult parts of learning dynamic transition suspensions is learning to think freely about where and how to manipulate the body. In this masterclass, students will be forced to think outside of the box and not follow a pattern when executing transitions during a suspension. This class will have a limited number of hands on participants.
Requirements: 8-12 ropes of at least 26 ft in length and proper suspension equipment. Tops must know how to tie a secure chest harness, hip, harness, and a safe single column tie. Tops must have a good understanding of upline management and must have done suspensions before in the past. Bottoms must have suspension experience and must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with their top. Bottoms must have a good understanding of their own body.
Class Type: Tie-along suspension
Participation: Pairs or groups
Discussion Based Class and hands-on learning; all levels welcome. One of the most unique aspects of rope bondage is the visual element it offers. From art installations to performances, photography projects to tattoo inspiration, there is something about the aesthetic of rope that draws people. In this class, we’ll discuss and demonstrate a variety of artistic principles from photography and how they can be applied to your tying. What kind of mood do different body shapes or poses evoke? How do your up-lines complete the “picture?” What do we mean when we talk about “clean” rope or “chaotic” rope? We’ll talk about things like lines and angles in both rope and bodies, directing the eye, different aesthetic styles, rules and how to break them, and the subjective nature of “beauty”. Bring your rope and your creativity for this one!
Class Type: Tie-along suspension
Participation: Solo
Take some time before you head off to the dungeon and stretch out some of those kinks! This short partnered stretching routine will be designed to get you in back in the groove both with yourself and with a partner after a wild day of ROPECRAFT.
Graydancer’s background in dance and Naiia’s background in yoga and massage therapy come together with their experience with rope to give you some fun, simple, and effective techniques to loosen your joints, warm up the muscles, and connect with your partner. No experience is required – these will be fundamentals of movement and body mechanics, with many modifications to suit where your body is at right now.
One light, two and three lights. I provide all the lights, those attending bring a camera or phone
After a day full of learning and expansion, come process your thoughts, appreciate your community and prepare your body physically for another day of kinky fun with morning yoga with Shakit Bliss Bunny!
B is a rope bottom, yoga teacher and educational facilitator from Austin, TX and enjoys reminding people how to breathe fully, stay present and come home to their bodies through movement. She will lead a vinyasa style flow appropriate for newbies or yogis with a regular practice. Both rope tops and bottoms will receive stretches to help prepare their muscles for healthy movement and strength building exercise to engage their body and free their mind.
We all know a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link, but do we all know how to spot the weakest link? In this class we will focus on the links that are often taken for granted, the links above the ring. We will discuss various methods of creating a functional and safe hard point from natural objects (such as tree limbs) and man made objects (such as ceiling joist). We will go over proper use of sling straps, carabiners and other commonly (mis)used climbing gear. We will discuss how to use block and tackle pulley systems in way that we can safely and quickly raise our lower our bottom(s) and more using tried and true techniques developed by mountain climbers, rescue teams and professional stage riggers. Included in this class will be downloadable notes and links to suggested equipment.
Class Type: Lecture
Participation: Solo
Pre-Requisites: Box tie of your choosing
What to Bring: At least Six (6) 8m hanks of rope and a someone to tie/be tied by if desired
Hard Points needed: One for demo only
Sir Isaac Newton invented 3 Laws of Motion which set the physics world on fire and are still found to be as true today as they were when they were invented in 1686. These laws are applicable not only in the physical nature of what we do in bondage, but also in the emotional and spiritual realm as well. This class is not about physics or geometry in bondage, but about the motion of the human condition in bondage. How does a person react when things are done? How do we practice reading that? What do we do with that information once we have it? Along the way, we will cover and discuss the ways we can use those and our own body mechanics to increase the speed of our tying through the efficiencies and movements in reaction to the actions of ourselves, our partners, and the next path our rope is to take. There is no “one twue” answer but this class will delve into drills and practices which can be employed to help discover a variety of answers.
Class Type: Tie-along floorwork
Participation: Pairs or groups
If you’ve been doing suspension for a while, you’ve certainly run into a bottom who has to come down due to pain or numbness. We’re going to use this class to look at ways to move our bottom and change their position without having to bring them down. Dynamic suspension can significantly increase the length of your scenes. It is also the basis for rope performance. And most importantly, its fun! We will look at a few basic transitions while maintaining a strong focus on safety and sustainability.
Class Type: Tie-along suspension
Participation: Pairs or groups
For the first hour we will learn the Front Hands Chest Harness. This front hands chest harness is extremely sustainable for bigger bodies and prevents shoulder strain and possible exhaustion as seen in a traditional TK. Personally this harness saved me as a bottom, I don’t know what I would do without it. Don’t focus on the patterns! Modify placements and chest straps to make this harness your own. Load from any angle with options to create all the shapes.
Often times we find classes centered around a pattern rather than the needs of our bodies and mind. Instead, let’s look at the strengths of the bottom and top and come together to make a sequence that fits what you are wanting out of your time together.
Cynna will pass out note cards and pens. We will take 5-10 minutes to write down our strengths, favorite ties and positions, and what you want/ are needing from the rope today.
Tops will write down the same. Trade cards and talk about what you two as a team want to tie. See how you can incorporate the chest harness we learned in this class.
During this time the space is open. Tie like it’s only two of you in the room, ask questions, lab out position placement for bands. How can I make this tie better? What do I need to work on outside of class?
Feel free to do ground work, partials, or suspension (if experienced in suspension safety and has safety tools present).
Class Type: Tie-along suspension
Participation: Pairs or groups
Do you enjoy the feeling of risk, danger, or just that lovely balance where one has to simply choose between a series of bad options?
Predicament play might be for you!
MsElaine will be moderating a panel of several mischievous and playful kinksters, top, bottom, and switch as they share their own tips, tricks, caveats, safety mitigations, and evil ideas and experiences.
Then there will be time for practice, as attendees are encouraged to collaborate and come up with their own predicaments, with a prize awarded by the panelists for the “Most Predicamental.”
Finally, the panelists themselves will team up for a demo of their own for the enjoyment and inspiration of the class.
Learning terminology and safety as you begin your journey in to rope bondage. There is so much more to beginning rope than the single column tie. This class will run through some very accessible rope handling exercises to impart skills that can be used right away to help to create more satisfying rope scenes. You, no matter what your skill level is, will enjoy learning new ways of being able to control a length of rope from end to end. This class will have you dancing with your partner, using rope as your tool.
Class Type: Tie-along floorwork
Participation: Pairs or groups
Body and mental self-awareness are key things to have in your top and bottom skill set, and they might be a little more intertwined than you’d think. Sometimes tapping into deep headspace isn’t just about letting go of emotional noise, but mindfully willing your body to work with you to reach that state too. Additionally, managing a tie isn’t just about engaging a certain muscle group to shift weight or align for optimal movement – it’s about training the mind to identify the issue in the first place, and using the power of mind/body in tandem to get the experience you want to have. This class will cover exercises, ranging from mindfulness and somatics to psychophysiology, to build body awareness in and out of rope. And perhaps more importantly, teach us how to respect the interconnectedness of mind and body so we can use that intrinsic strength to reach our rope happy place.
Note: this class is best experienced with a tying companion with experience in partial suspensions. Those without partials experience or a tying companion are welcome to audit.
Class Type: Tie-along partial suspension
Participation: Solo
Take some time before you head off to the dungeon and stretch out some of those kinks! This short partnered stretching routine will be designed to get you in back in the groove both with yourself and with a partner after a wild day of ROPECRAFT.
Graydancer’s background in dance and Naiia’s background in yoga and massage therapy come together with their experience with rope to give you some fun, simple, and effective techniques to loosen your joints, warm up the muscles, and connect with your partner. No experience is required – these will be fundamentals of movement and body mechanics, with many modifications to suit where your body is at right now.
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