Movement & Immobility:
with Bänana & Soft Armor
price per tying pair:
BOUND Members $300|TIED Members $325 | WRAPPED Members $350
Saturday and Sunday
May 2nd-3rd, 10:00am - 5:00pm
Registration will be enabled March 1st @ 12:00pm
We can see a shibari session as a sequence of different steps.The choice of these steps is made as the session progresses, depending on the evolution desired by the rigger in relation to his/her partner. The rigger can for example choose to add ropes, to vary a shape or to create movement and to radically change a position. During this workshop, I would like us to analyze the possibilities we have to make a session evolve, by observing in our practice the moments of immobility and movements. We will attach very different types of sessions in order to find ways of thinking about questions such as: What is at play in the immobility for the person tied up? What is the right moment to decide to change position and in what ways can we choose to make a transition? This workshop is not meant to bring answers but to try to enrich our practice of semenawa with new paths!
Things to bring:
- A full rope kit (12-14 hanks of 7 or 8m)
- Cutting tool
Prerequisites:
THIS IS AN ADVANCED INTENSIVE, LEVEL 2. IF YOU ARE UNSURE IF YOUR SKILL LEVEL IS SUITABLE FOR THIS INTENSIVE, PLEASE REACH OUT TO OSOROPES
This advanced course is suitable for riggers who are comfortable tying in bamboo suspension. Having already been tied several times in suspension is necessary for the models. Bänana’s ropes style could be related to semenawa (ropes of torment). You need to be comfortable with this kind of dynamic. Communication being a central element in shibari it is always preferable to come with a partner with whom you already practice in order to allow a good experience. It's important to have already discussed the framework of your practice (desires, intentions, limits, ways of managing consent). Regarding the chest harnesses used, Bänana will tie different ones, but there will never be any obligation. For each exercise, you will be able to choose according to your preferences, as long as the harness can be suspended. If at any point during the workshop you need adaptations, Bänana will be there to support you.
All participants must have a shared understanding of negotiations, consent, and safety. Clarity on boundaries around touch, exposure, and manipulation, and aftercare needs.
About the Instructors:
Bänana (She/Her)
Bänana, a ten-year bondage enthusiast, found her passion in shibari in 2017, drawn to its raw and authentic nature. As she has always been fascinated by the expression of emotions, shibari, and more specifically semenawa has opened up a new path of exploration to her. She began to follow Docvale’s teaching in November 2018, later partnering with him to co- manage Atelier Simonet in Paris until summer 2023. Bänana created La Cabäne during winter 2024. Bänana considers that in order to tie well, we must understand each of our technical choices rather than learning the instructions by heart. She gives to her students a solid grounding so they can feel free while tying and put these technical abilities at the service of the relationship with their partners.
Being in ropes is also something to be apprehended. Not that you have to behave in any particular way. On the contrary, every tied-up person has to find the way that pleases him or her. It's also a long journey full of questions and emotions, and it seems important to Bänana that all this is taken into account during her courses.
Bänana's courses are so often highly interactive, with the idea that everyone should have a place to ask questions and express their experiences and feedback in order to grow together in this practice.
Soft Armor (They/Them)
Soft Armor is a NYC based rope bottoms and self-tier who travels and ties in LA, Paris, and beyond. They found rope later in their life and immediately fell in love with the ways rope allows for explorations in their body-trust, art making, and interpersonal connection. As a queer, chronically ill rope model, they love to nerd out about pain processing, internalized ableism, and the ways that the containers we make together in rope can feel like "aftercare" for vanilla life.
Important Registration Information:
- All attendees must register and pay online, no admittance or registration at the door.
- Photo ID is required to be admitted and must match the Last Name listed in your online registration.
- You must be at least 19 years of age to attend Studio Friction events.
- No refunds or credits on cancellations within 48 hours of event (contact us for extenuating circumstances).
