Creative Deviance - by Haag (NL) and Yael (US)

Haag is a professional rope bondage teacher and runs the Ellipsis Rope Events Foundation based in Rotterdam (NL). He has hosted many rope events varying from international workshops, performances, demonstrations and rope jams for more than a decade. Haag is passionate about photography, community work and teaching, and his tying style is focused 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.

Yael Stormborn or “Ten” (Los Angeles, California) is an aerialist, performance artist, and rope model who brings in her perspective as a US based artist and researcher. In the rope world, Ten is most notable for touring, performing, and educating with Felix Ruckert and as a presenter at Eurix. In LA, Ten can be found performing at many an underground after hours fetish club, for Playa Alchemist at Burning Man, in addition to being a daughter of The House of Red Velvet, an erotic, surrealist dark art performance collective in Los Angeles.

Upon finding rope bondage, it was a seminal point for Ten to translate and unlock the similarities and connections between aerial arts and rope bondage and to create a lexicon for both rope tops and bottoms to more fully explore. As a kink performer, she is specifically interested in creating & sharing the work that she does with her body & how that translates to be a cultural provocateur. Artistically, the work of Ten is largely influenced by eroticism and the exploration of abandonment, often playing with proximity, perspective, and the intersection of light, sound & touch to evoke an emotional response. Currently, Ten is focused on providing education and curriculum focused towards active bottoms as that is her main skillset.

For whom?

This workshop is intended for tying couples who are tying at an intermediate to advanced level, are looking to diversify their rope sessions and enjoy both the creative and technical aspects or rope bondage. Switching is allowed as long as both parties fulfill the requirements mentioned below. This workshop will include partial- and full suspension techniques, but all exercises can be adjusted to be practiced on the floor as well.

Workshop Content

In this workshop we will challenge both our conscious and unconscious fixations to facilitate a more creative and (often) more rewarding approach to our rope practices. We will show various techniques and tricks we developed in our tying style to stimulate your own originality as well as discuss examples that would actively constrain creativity. This topic will focus less on the “why?” and more on the “why (the fuck) not‽”. Throughout the workshop the following topics will be covered: 

• Joy of movement and manipulation of movement with/in rope
• Advanced floorwork through simplifying complex harnesses and more challenging application methods
• Non-linear rope sessions and action oriented vs. process oriented tying styles
• Segmented- versus assembled pattern construction
• Challenging the Mere Exposure Effect and Fixedness problems
• Informal Deviance and engagement as a rope bottom

Required level of skill/ list of prerequisites for (r)igger & (m)odel

• Correct execution of a single- and double column tie (r)
• Understanding of the techniques: “reverse tension”, “cinching”, “frictions”. (r)
• Basic knowledge of safety (r/m) and physical symptoms related to rope bondage (r/m)
• Must have learned any suspendable chest harness in a in-person workshop or paid private tuition setting (gote, tengu, hands-in-front, etc) (r)
• Comfortable tying (r)/or being tied in (m) any gote with any hand position for floorwork (any, not every!)
• Comfortable tying (r)/ or being tied in (m) a variety of basic shapes on the lower body like: a hip harness, an agura, legbinders/ashi shibari, etc.
• Comfortable communicating any issues or limits during (and before) tying with your partner (r/m)
• (optional/ required for suspension) Must have learned how to tie and manage uplines for suspension in a in-person workshop or paid private tuition setting (r)

Required Equipment

• At least 10 lengths 8+ meters jute or hemp rope
• A rescue hook or EMT shears
• A sling and carabiners to adjust the height of your hardpoint

Schedule

The workshop will be from 13:00 until 19:00 both days, including breaks. You are welcome at the venue at 12:30 (not before). Please arrive on time. There will be a maximum of 10 couples attending.

Tickets

Tickets will be €300 per couple (not including booking costs) for the weekend and can be purchased here: https://eventix.shop/kndm87sn. Tickets are non-refundable, but can be sold to participants that fulfill the requirements for the workshop.