with Peter Soptik & Sansei
Semenawa is not just about pain, nor simply about sadomasochism. There is something deeper in it: a way of experiencing the connection between two people through rope, intensity and vulnerability.
In demanding, uncomfortable, and sometimes painful positions, we touch not only the body but also the soul. We surrender to the person tying us, entrust them with our vulnerability and let them take us somewhere we might never reach on our own. Pain, effort, fear, helplessness or exhaustion can become a gift, something one person offers and the other receives.
This shared journey can create a very particular bond. You don't have to be lovers or partners in everyday life. Within the ropes, there can still be intimacy, trust, care and a special kind of love. Tough love.
In this workshop, we draw from semenawa, its connection to Japanese aesthetics and its roots in historical imagery of restraint, torment and torture. But we won't seek pain for its own sake. Instead, we'll explore how to create experiences that are challenging on several levels at once: physically, psychologically and emotionally.
We'll work with pressure, restriction, discomfort, physical effort, helplessness, time, anticipation and emotion. None of these needs to be extreme on its own. Combined, they can create an intensely charged space where something far more interesting emerges than simply "Ouch, that hurts."
We'll explore ties and positions that aren't meant to be merely endured, but experienced, accepted and surrendered to.
Our goal is not to push our partner beyond their limits. Quite the opposite - we want to learn to move very close to their boundaries, understand what is happening within them and stay in control of the intensity throughout. Safety remains the foundation of everything we do.
What we'll work on:
Intensity without chasing pain. Combining position, pressure, restriction, effort, time, helplessness and emotion so the result is not simply more pain, but a stronger experience.
Reading your partner. Breath, muscle tension, movement, silence, facial expression and the subtle changes that tell us what's happening before anything needs to be said.
Surrender and control. Creating a space where one person can truly let go, precisely because the other can take control safely.
Dosing intensity. Adding and releasing pressure, changing positions, and working with time, pauses and stillness.
Dark emotions in semenawa. Making space for fear, helplessness, frustration, resistance, exhaustion or despair and appreciating their beauty without reducing the experience to physical pain.
Creating demanding positions safely. Load, leverage, angles and anatomical risks, especially to nerves, circulation and the spine.
Tough Love is not about how much pain you can cause or endure. It's about what two people can give each other through intensity.
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This workshop is intended for advanced riggers and rope bottoms with good experience in suspensions. We recommend this workshop for those who have completed a level 1 workshop covering basic Naka ryu ties and suspension with us or others. Both riggers and rope-bottoms should have good experience with Gote and ties like lacing and Futomomo.
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Participants need to bring at least 12 ropes.
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Peter Soptik and Sansei's approach to ropes is about a deep connection between two people. They find this connection particularly in traditional kinbaku and are passionate about the Kinbaku LuXuria style that they are both certified for up to level 1. Peter has been studying this style with Riccardo Wildties and Red Sabbath since 2013. Riccardo is a deshi of Naka Akira and his style is an interpretation of Naka Ryu more suited to western riggers and models.
Sansei and Peter started their journey together a few years later and now not only study but also research their own interpretation of the style.
Their tying and their teaching includes classical patterns, aesthetics and also deep surrender to the core, dark emotions in semenawa and existing for each other. Through kinbaku they pursue things they are passionate about. Among the different flavours they tie and teach are objectification and exposure, from shame to humiliation, and some niche topics such as neck rope and arm binders.
Peter has been studying Japanese bondage for a long time. He studied with Kinoko Hajime, Osada Steve, Nawashi Kanna, Arnoys Nicolas and Naka Akira. They taught him the basics, technique and also the movement, intimacy and simplicity of the ropes. Today his style is shaped by his studies with Riccardo Wildties.
Sansei has been doing ropes since 2017. Her approach to tying is specific with a deep surrender to her rigger, an almost altered state of being while tying, exploring the often dark emotions that ropes can bring and the beauty of them. Of particular importance to her is the naturalness of the experience and the effect of the rope on the human soul and body. She is not only a model, but also a rigger. She has been studying with Peter Soptik since 2019 and the Kinbaku LuXuria style with Riccardo Wildties and Red Sabbath since 2022. The experience of both roles allows her to better understand and pass on deeper insight. She is passionate about Japanese aesthetics and philosophy, which is a great inspiration in her tying.
Although Naka style is their preferred way of tying today, they are open to enjoying spontaneity and fun with ropes, and their personal practice and teaching also includes lighter topics.