Playing with Partial Suspensions workshop

Partial suspensions can be a step towards full suspension--and partials can create amazing scenes all on their own! Partial suspensions offer a broad range of exciting rope bondage positions, from comfy to intense! Parrtials pair well with sensation play, impact play, predicament bondage, torturous rope, and many other fun scene elements!

In this hands-on workshop, Parker RopeBoi will teach how to take your shibari practice from ground to air, while prioritizing safety, risk awareness, communication, and consent. Participants will learn techniques to make (partial) suspensions more sustainable and to reduce strain on muscles, connective tissue, and skin, and to watch out for and minimize any impediment of nerves, breathing, and/or circulation.

Learn to move through a broad variety of fun, hot, quirky, comfortable, and/or torturous partial suspension positions, in order to create a long-lasting, enjoyable rope scene.

As an intensive introduction to up-line management, this class is also a great way for rope tops to develop these essential skills for suspension without the heightened risks and time pressure of full suspension.

For rope bottoms, this class is an opportunity to explore one's range of mobility in, physical experience of, and preferences regarding different (partial) suspensions and variations. Rope bottoms will develop skills for proprioception, balance, microadjustments, and bottom-led transitions in (partial) suspensions--skills which also are helpful in full suspensions.

The workshop will also include how to adjust ropes in order to:

• make significant differences in body positions and range of mobility
• make certain body parts more or less accessible
• make someone very restrictively bound or able to wriggle about while tethered in place
• alternate between challenging torturous ties and the respite of more comfortable bondage positions
• punctuate a sustainable partial suspension with moments of intensity, and can create exciting predicaments.

Skills/Experience Required: This class is open to experience levels ranging from solidly intermediate rope practitioners who are new to learning suspension, to experienced suspension practitioners who are interested in learning some new techniques and transitions to incorporate into their rope play.

People tying (rope tops) must be able to consistently, accurately, and quickly tie a Somerville Bowline single-column tie, a square knot, half-hitch, a munter hitch, and lark's head. Tops should be able to tie a chest harness suitable for suspension (no specific chest harness is required, as long as the harness is suspension-worthy).

People being tied (rope bottoms) must have experience being tied in a chest harness and in column ties on the hips, thighs, and ankles, and should be able to communicate sensitivities, limitations, and preferences about rope.

All participants, but especially people being tied, should have body awareness and be able to communicate their needs and limitations to their tying partner(s).

Some experience with partial or full suspension is helpful but not required.

18+ event

Partnering: This workshop is designed for tying pairs (with one person tying and one person being tied) and not for self-tying. To fully participate in the hands-on portions of the workshop, you will need a tying partner. Solo attendees are welcome to observe and participate to the extent possible without a partner. The partial suspensions in this workshop are designed for partner tying and not for self-tying.

Materials needed: Tying pairs will need at least 7-8 ropes, each ~25-35 ft. long. We recommend 6mm-diameter jute or hemp, and/or 5mm or 6mm POSH as most suitable for this class. 100% nylon or MFP rope in similar diameters are also acceptable. For this workshop, do not use ropes made of cotton, sisal, manila, polyester, nylon/poly blends, or other hardware store rope or rock climbing rope. Jute and POSH rope are available to purchase with your ticket and can be ready for you at the workshop.

About the Instructors:

Parker RopeBoi (they) is a queer, non-binary rope instructor with 17+ years of rope experience and presenting rope workshops, intensives, and performances at major conventions and venues across North America and Europe. Parker is a versatile rope top who enjoys tying others, self-tying, and sharing their passion for rope. As an instructor, Parker enjoys breaking down complex scenes and into teachable skills and techniques. Parker respects and appreciates that all bodies are different and that there are no “one-size-fits-all” techniques. Parker strives to foster an inclusive, affirming environment for adults of all bodies, histories, and identifications to learn and enjoy rope. Parker offers workshops and private lessons for levels ranging from novice to advanced, hosts the monthly Queer Rope Social jam, and is a co-founder of Coil & Cord Studio.

Shiver (he/they) is an NYC-based kink and nightlife photographer, rope switch, and leatherqueer.