with Saara Rei
“In his thinking, seme is never just pain or pain for pain’s sake. It is suffering and endurance for a purpose and as much a mental state as a physical one. The question we need ask as a top is not just “what is she feeling?” but also “In what state is her mind when she feels it?” - Yukimura, Kinbaku Today
There are many workshops where the discussion and exercises focus on how the rigger can practice semenawa. In this workshop, conceptualised and developed by Saara Rei and Natasha NawaTaNeko, the discussion and exercises focus on how the bottom can practice semenawa. We will combine somatic bodywork practices with practical, hands-on tying exercises, where the rigger and the bottom will work together to reach a "semenawa state of mind." While every exercise will focus on the experience of the bottom (with the aid of the rigger), there will still be a lot to learn for the rigger as well, as kinbaku is a practice of relating to and understanding each other - when one half grows, the whole will grow... and in that sense, it is impossible to truly separate the learnings of each role from one another. What we attempt to do here in this workshop is to simply shift the focus to the bottom’s practice.
Semenawa can be seen and experienced in many ways, as the meaning of the word "seme" is multi-faceted and contextual. Semenawa is generally associated with torturous, challenging rope bondage. In this workshop, we will focus on both physical and emotional techniques that can be particularly useful when practicing semenawa, as well as in meeting challenges in our everyday lives! We will combine somatic bodywork practices and theory with tying exercises in order to build a base of understanding within what we are doing: rope bondage. We will focus on practical techniques and limits, and on power dynamics and emotional work.
-
Models attending this workshop are welcome at any experience level. Riggers should be comfortable with at least semi-suspension, as there will be no focus on technical rigging skills in this workshop and thus riggers will need to feel comfortable making independent choices for themselves that fit the intention of each exercise. No experience in semenawa, or tying styles that are associated to semenawa (such as Naka-ryu or Kanna-ryu, for example), are necessary for either party. You are welcome to attend, even if you have never heard of the word “semenawa” before.
-
Saara Rei is a workshop facilitator and performance artist with a background in music, dance, education, and public speaking. Saara's work generally centres around the exploration of suffering, both physical and emotional. Through their kink practice, Saara has come to understand that suffering comes from the comparison of what has been or could be to the present moment. And with that, Saara enjoys teaching about how to use suffering as a path to presence and enjoyment in life.
Natasha NawaTaNeko is a Russian born, Berlin based experienced rope bottom and author of the recent book “Somatics for Rope Bottoms”. In Kinbaku, she is looking for true emotions and authenticity and sees rope bondage as deeply intimate and erotic practice that has also a profound transformational potential. Natasha keeps exploring her own resistance and surrender in ropes of her partner Alexander NawaRonin ever since 2011. While Natasha loves to teach on the subject of rope bottoming, she is not a huge fan of public speaking and the format of workshop facilitation - thus, she has agreed along with Saara that she will pursue other mediums of spreading such knowledge (such as her book and her blog) while Saara carries on their work via workshop facilitation.