The
Instructors.

A_Chicken has been an active member of the kink and BDSM community for over a decade. As a dynamic rope bottom and dedicated masochist, she brings depth, curiosity, and a passion for embodied exploration to her practice. Beyond her personal experience, A_Chicken is an enthusiastic educator who has led bottom-focused classes on body awareness, the psychology of s-type dynamics, and mental health within kink. Her approach blends lived experience, trauma-informed insight, and a genuine commitment to fostering safe, informed, and empowering spaces for bottoms and submissives alike.

Adrian is a mischievous gnome-sized human who believes play is an essential part of life. They got into kink out of a desire to explore their relationship to sensation and stayed for the relationships with other humans. They have been making progressively weirder choices the older they get, and hope to never stop.

Air (they/them) brings a trauma-informed, grounded, and delightfully unconventional approach to kink. With over a decade of experience as a self-tier, rigger, and rope bottom, they have shared their creative, precocious, and hilariously sadomasochistic style at national and international events. A queer, NB/trans educator, Air is committed to fostering inclusive spaces, modeling care, curiosity, and radical authenticity. A BSN-RN, Neurosomatic Coach, and Yoga Instructor, they integrate lived experience and professional expertise into every workshop and session. Learn more at itsokimjustair.com.

Anansi (she/her) believes that rope is an intimate exchange and that exchange doesn't always require an undertone of seriousness, preferring instead sensuality, attunement, and fun. Rope can be playful and even induce laughter rather than enforcing traditional, exclusionary power dynamics. Anansi's physicality is a major component to her connective tying style. A rope switch who adores getting tied, tying others, and tying herself, Anansi uses rope as a tool to establish and express connection between herself and the person she's tying with.

Anarion_melindo is a rope switch who mostly ties. He has been active in the rope scene for four years. He likes being mean to willing subjects, tying aesthetic shapes, sadistic predicaments, connective movement through rope, and doing rope photography. As an instructor, he values curiosity, experimentation, and developing intuition for underlying principles through iteration.

Anoxia (they/them) is a switch based out of Chicago, who started in rope in 2015. Over the years, they've had the opportunity to study in many different styles with educators in the US, Europe, and Japan. They present classes which go beyond patterns and rote memorization to teach underlying principles relevant to students at any point in their rope journey. Nox also currently serves on the NARIX steering committee. In play, their rope is often intense, creative, dynamic, and charged with emotional sadism.

Anya Demure is a rope bondage enthusiast, teacher, and performer with a lot of energy and a lot of hair! She is keen on creating and embodying interesting physical shapes, and delights in enduring physically challenging and creative rope experiences. For her, rope bondage is endurance, sex, exercise, community, movement, art, collaboration, and mutual experience. She is also dedicated to promoting bottom-inclusive education and presentation, and fostering safe, friendly, and encouraging learning environments. She has been fortunate to teach, tie, and be tied in various communities in the US and abroad, but calls Brooklyn home.

Asteria_rope is a switch, self-suspender, and sadomasochist who has been in the rope scene for over four years. She enjoys suffering in rope, finding out what she can do, and experiencing different sensations. She also loves fucky and confusing shapes, movement and tension, and testing bad ideas in controlled ways. As an instructor, she prioritizes creating spaces for people to explore and be curious about their own experiences, and firmly believes that everyone is the expert on their own body.

Chingón Cuerdas is a Chicago-based kinbaku educator, performer, and photographer whose work emphasizes adaptability, efficiency, and embodied understanding. He began his kink journey in 2013 and quickly developed a deep passion for rope bondage and rough body play, approaching both as systems of communication and intensity. Drawing from a background in bio-anatomy, experience in martial arts, and a healthy dose of general perversion, his teaching focuses on body mechanics, spatial awareness, and uncovering moments of erotic vulnerability. His style prioritizes engagement — physically and mentally — breaking complex concepts down into clear logic and practical exercises students can immediately apply to their own practice. Chingón has been involved in local rope education initiatives including Tying by Twilight, Chicago Rope, and Second City Kinbaku, and has presented and performed at events such as Ropecraft, Kinky Kollege, B.A.N.K., Snowbound, and Dark Odyssey. As an educator, he is most at home guiding students toward adaptable skills that evolve with their bodies, partners, and intentions.

After admiring the beauty of rope from afar, in 2021 Clutch entered the rope scene. Primarily a rope bottom, she also learned to self-tie and self-suspend. As a chronic pain sufferer, she likes to explore the aspect of controlling pain through rope, and letting go of pain emotionally.

CreepyJane (she/they) is a weird little freak from Chicago. She is an organizer for Chicago's Lakeview Munch, volunteer host for the Sakura Studio rope jam, staff for Twisted Tryst, and current co-chair of the Chicago Rope (F)unconference. She has demo-bottomed and presented on topics including emotional sadomasochism, sharps, and rope in Chicago and the greater Midwest and is a passionate advocate for bottoming-focused education.

Dancehalldyke (she/they) is a switch who likes to play with power dynamics, emotional vulnerability, and darker themes from both sides of the rope. Her style is a mix of traditional kinbaku with dynamic transitions and athleticism. She has a background in classical ballet, modern dance, and mathematical physics. Their rope performances together and separately have been featured at Folsom Street Fair, Seattle Erotic Art Festival, SF Pride, Nuit des Cordes, VoxBody Studio, Birdhaus Toronto, and more. They have taught together and separately, nationally and internationally at Dark Odyssey, VoxBody Studio, Temple New York, the Jungle House Costa Rica, Birdhaus Toronto, and more. They have been tying together for nine years, teaching rope for three, and teaching in other fields for over fifteen years each.

Dimples (she/they) is a Chicago based queer, fat, sadomasochistic rope switch who also moonlights as a photographer. Intertwining their creative eye and love of rope, their approach to play often pulls in elements of exposure, control, and objectification with Body Liberation and Queerness at the center. Their excitement for teaching can be distilled to one simple intention: a desire to share. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't, meet each other with grace and never forget why we do this thing called rope.

Em has moxie. She enjoys finding fresh, creative ways to bind, torture, and please. Her perception and insight, combined with warm enthusiasm and sincerity, have earned her a fierce reputation on both sides of the D/s spectrum. As a rope enthusiast, she prefers sensual, intimate, and meaningful floorwork over flashy suspensions. Em consulted on rope, partner connection, and bondage for the feature film Professor Marston & the Wonder Women (2017).

EmJUnbound (they/she) is a queer, non-binary rope switch, self-suspender, and overall rope menace. With a background as a registered nurse, and love languages for rope and education, they bring a trauma-informed, risk-aware approach to rope that centers consent and body awareness. They are passionate about making rope accessible across bodies and experience levels, with a focus on active bottoming, connection, and co-created scenes. EmJ's teaching invites students to explore rope in ways that are intentional, adaptable, and uniquely their own.

SnapAndRun (aka GingerSnap — she/they) started her rope journey over 10 years ago. She is a sensualist and sadist who expresses her creativity & passion through rope. Rope allows her to be completely present in the moment & connected to the person she is tying. In addition to presenting and performing nationwide, she is active in her local community, offering a variety of rope classes and leading monthly rope jams.

HuntOrRide (he/they) is a polyamorous, kinky, queer, neurodivergent, ropey, biker, dad! He joined the public scene for kink/poly/rope in 2016 and hit the ground running. He has been an educator, performer and student, at various events across the U.S. AuDHD is one of his superpowers and helps them take a diverse skill set and apply it in new creative solutions to various problems. Don't be surprised if there are laughs with, or at him, even when discussing serious topics.

Banter in the streets, enthusiastic consent in the sheets — Iemec (he/him) is a rope switch with a particular fondness for eeling, functional bedroom bondage, and petting kitties while they self-suspend upside down. As an educator, he focuses on Western-style rope from a bottoming perspective, emphasizing straightforward foundational skills and adaptable ties. He is always up for rope science, bad puns, and escape games involving distractions and incentives.

Insignia is a Bay Area rope bottom, performer, and professional movement educator who believes that every body can be a rope body. Using principles of athletic training, corrective exercise, and sports medicine, we can make rope more accessible and sustainable for a wider array of body types. Insignia has over 15 years of experience performing and teaching elite athletics, classical dance, resistance training, dynamic flexibility and corrective movement.

J (she/they) is a queer, disabled rope bottom who has been in rope since 2022. J utilizes rope as a means to connect to both their body and their partners, to move through controlled pain processing, and to practice letting go as a means of empowerment. As a disabled person, finding strength and trust in one's body can be a challenge, and rope has allowed J to do just that. She has facilitated a handful of classes with Dimples, and enjoys the opportunity to speak with other bottoms about body awareness and relinquishing control to deepen connection and intimacy in rope. Outside of the scene, J is a trauma therapist, an Aquarius with six Capricorn placements, and a lover of plush moss, cool rocks, and color coded bookshelves.

Kasm (they/them) is a queer, kinky switch and self-tier who started teaching in 2018. In the classroom they prioritize building a container that is safe to flail in and creating opportunities for discovery. In their personal practice they enjoy exploring intimacies and modes of play through the lens of rope bondage, with a focus on movement driven scenes and sadomasochistic play. They are based in Chicago and can be found as KasmOfRope on fetlife, and kasm.of.rope on instagram.

Zoe Kate is a non-binary professional with over 10 years of experience in the field of consensual power dynamics and sensory exploration. They specialize in rope bondage and foot-centered fetishes. Their approach is intuitive, respectful, and grounded in both technical skill and emotional awareness, creating safe spaces for exploration through intentional connection.

Magnolia is a former ballerina and lifelong movement practitioner whose path now weaves together yoga, bodywork, and rope. With 25 years as a massage therapist and esthetician, IAYT Yoga Therapist, and more than a decade of rope bottoming experience, she brings a deeply embodied perspective to her work. Magnolia has performed and taught at events throughout the U.S., including national conferences, and runs BOA (Rope Bottoms of Austin) in Austin, Texas. Her bottoming philosophy, rooted in anatomy and movement education, centers on body awareness as a tool for resilience — supporting longer holds, greater endurance, and access to positions that once felt out of reach.

March (she/they) is a curious student of rope as a medium for power, vulnerability, pain, and release. In her teachings, March strives to facilitate personal growth and relational resilience through consent and communication. After a hard and fast fall into the rabbit hole in 2015, she identifies as an ever-evolving rope enthusiast and can often be seen teaching and performing nationally, as well as organizing community events locally. March has taught for organizations such as Tethered Together, Harvard University, Ropecraft Chicago, Carter Johnson Library, Wellesley College, Shibari Study, Anomaly Kink, Bondage Expo Dallas, and Dark Odyssey.

Part artist, part educator, all instigator — Midori has been seducing minds and sparking mischief for over three decades. Author of The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage and founder of ForteFemme Women's Dominance Intensive, she turns curiosity into courage and kink into connection, blending wit, wisdom, and wicked delight into every encounter.

Miss Acacia is a devoted, well-rounded educator and seeker of beauty currently residing in the Hartford area. As an instructor, she is committed to collaborative learning, and is of the mind that the "why" of any learned skill is of the utmost importance. Experiencing the sensation of tying on her own carried her understanding of the experiences she creates with others, thereby inspiring a more vast desire to spread knowledge in a variety of proclivities. Though she presents ever stoic and Victorian on the outside, Miss Acacia is every bit a kinky, modern-day Renaissance woman.

Mr. Slaughter (they/she) is a seasoned Professional Dominatrix with a talent for understanding and dealing with the challenges of BDSM and Kink Education over the past 7 years. Renowned for their expertise in creating safer spaces for QBIPOC, rope suspension, and helping those who have experienced trauma reintegrate into the scene. Equipped with 11 years of lived experience in the scene, they keep their finger on the pulse of community needs.

Ms. Reemah (she/her) is a queer woman of color from Atlanta. She has been a part of the kink community since 2017. She is an international Eastern style rope bondage educator. Ms. Reemah derives immense joy and connectedness through rope play. Rope bondage provides her with an awareness of BIPOCs in the kink community. She finds this work important to create safer and equitable spaces for all.

Nova and Nevertheless have been tying together since 2018 and really amped up their tying relationship in 2023. Together they have taught in their local community at Rope Study Group serving as one of the two primary educator pairs focusing on intermediate and advanced skills. Nevertheless has been educating since 2020, mainly as a Top but with a recent shift in focus to educating as a bottom. Nova has been educating since 2021 as a Top, synthesizing her experience as a medical professional to her rope and kink. This tying pair bring ample Neuro-Spicy Info Dumps, Dad Jokes, puns, and a witty banter that brings a playful levity to otherwise information dense instruction.

NotYourAnything (she/they) is a San Francisco-based rope bottom and masochist with a penchant for hanging upside down. Through rope, she finds joy in suffering, exploratory aesthetics, and committing to the bit. She has played and performed across both coasts since 2015, and has taught and demo bottomed at Ropecraft, Dark Odyssey, and Voxbody Studio.

Nova and Nevertheless have been tying together since 2018 and really amped up their tying relationship in 2023. Together they have taught in their local community at Rope Study Group serving as one of the two primary educator pairs focusing on intermediate and advanced skills. Nevertheless has been educating since 2020, mainly as a Top but with a recent shift in focus to educating as a bottom. Nova has been educating since 2021 as a Top, synthesizing her experience as a medical professional to her rope and kink. This tying pair bring ample Neuro-Spicy Info Dumps, Dad Jokes, puns, and a witty banter that brings a playful levity to otherwise information dense instruction.

Nyx (she/they) is a fat and athletic rope switch living in Austin, TX. She is passionate about accessible rope, in particular rope on bigger bodies. A certified trauma-informed, E-RYT 500 yoga instructor, they have taught and trained teachers in accessible practices for over a decade. She also holds a Ph.D. and has taught in academic settings for more than 25 years. Nyx practices connective rope with a sense of collaboration, empowerment, joy, and intellectual curiosity. Their study of anatomy and physiology guide their exploration of bottom-led dynamic suspensions and art-inspired scenes. A cancer survivor and pleasure activist, Nyx seeks and supports experiences that serve the greater project of embodied liberation.

Xani (it/he) is a playful creature that can't help but wriggle and writhe through a scene. It uses rope and other kink as a conduit to connection, creating trust and a safe place for vulnerability. Rope has been an invaluable bridge to finding community, and it strives to radiate a safe space for others.

Parker RopeBoi (they/them) has been performing and teaching rope bondage/shibari since 2008, at venues including Tethered Together (New England), Twisted Windows (San Francisco), Vox Body Studio (San Francisco), Anatomie Studios (London, UK), Dark Odyssey Winter Fire/Fusion/Surrender, International Ms. Leather/Ms. Bootblack, RopeCraft (Chicago), Shibaricon (Chicago), NARIX, Bondage Expo Dallas, The Floating World (NJ), Bound in Boston, Ropes in Motion (Montreal), Tension Montreal, Folsom Street East (NYC), Folsom Street Fair (San Francisco), Bound (London), Temple New York, and the inaugural 2025 EXIST conference in Montreal. Known for their innovative self-suspension techniques and highly dynamic self-suspensions, Parker loves to share their passion for self-tying and partner tying, and their tips and tricks from 16+ years of tying and teaching. Bringing rope performance into galleries, theaters, and nightlife venues, Parker has received support for their rope performance art from the Alliance of Resident Theaters/New York and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Parker hosts the monthly Queer Rope Social rope jam in New York City and is a co-founder of Coil & Cord Studio in Brooklyn, NY.

Qatherine (she/they) is a Boston-based rope lover and passionate self-suspender. With a background in ballet and aerial circus arts, Qatherine seeks to explore the sensations and physicality of rope, and has a deep, unabiding love of inversions. In self-suspension, Qatherine enjoys dynamic movement, challenging her body, and finding novel ways to string herself up. Outside of rope, Qatherine satisfies their cravings for airtime through aerial silks and corde lisse.

Razzberri (she/they) is a queer, masochistic bottom who's been doing kink since 2011. Rope was one of the first kinks they experienced, and has been doing rope since 2011, but with much more concentration since 2022. Play for them exists on a spectrum, ranging from fun & silly, to more edgy, & intense. She is passionate about bringing the bottoming perspective a voice in their teaching and hope to have a positive impact in people's learning journey.

RunsForSnap (aka Run — he/they) started his rope journey over 10 years ago. He approaches rope as a collaborative art form — one that engenders trust, communication and mutual creativity with his tying partner. Run uses body awareness and intentionality to bring a focused energy to each scene. His style emphasizes physical experience as well as using rope as a way to explore vulnerability, strength and intimacy. As an educator, he is committed to bringing a bottom lead perspective; sharing his knowledge and experience on consent and negotiation as well as body awareness to help other people in rope discover their voice and help them learn how to shape their rope journey to achieve their goals and desires.

Jake helps demonstrate techniques in kink education classes, generously volunteering his time, body, and sense of humor in the name of learning. He has served as a demo bottom for rope, sounding, and CBT classes, bringing curiosity, bravery, and the occasional well timed facial expression to the classroom. Outside of the teaching space, Jake is the Security Lead for Tethered Together, where he helps keep the event running smoothly and safely for everyone involved.

Shakti Bliss is a full-spectrum somatic artist based in Austin, TX. She has been part of the rope community for a decade, first translating her anatomical and movement practices to the community by teaching yoga, mobility, and body awareness to rope practitioners before expanding into bottoming education and the energetics of consensual intimacy. Over the years, Bliss has grown into a competent rigger and rope sWitch whose work centers intimacy, cultural competency, emotional liberation, and consent as living practices inside the rope journey. She is the owner and co-visionary of The [ _ ] Space in Austin, TX, a studio dedicated to cultivating community through movement, ritual, adult education, and somatic practices, including BDSM/kink and sex ed. When she is not teaching, tying or being tied, Bliss is providing full-spectrum reproductive justice support and homebirth midwifery care throughout Central Texas.

Shay Tiziano (she/her or they/them) is a renowned bondage performer, presenter, producer, and self-suspender known for their innovative performances and friendly, attainable, and risk-awareness-focused approach to kink education. Her teaching style is playfully nerdy, packed with evidence-based tidbits and study references, while balancing scientific rigor with humor and not taking herself (too) seriously. She is the author of Tying & Flying, the first-ever book on self-suspension; Creating Captivating Classes, the first-ever book specifically for kink educators; and the editor of the anthology Soaring & Exploring: Self-Suspension for Experienced Tiers & Flyers. Based in San Francisco, Shay is the stages & entertainment lead for the Folsom Street Fair and produces the acclaimed bondage and fetish performance event Twisted Windows.

Skyla is an educator, organizer, and rope enthusiast who loves exploring the places where technique, creativity, and connection meet. With a background in college-level teaching and instructional design, she has a knack for breaking down complex ideas into approachable, engaging learning experiences. Skyla works in cybersecurity and privacy education, where her love of puzzles, systems, and problem-solving continues to shape how she approaches both rope and teaching. She teaches on rope technique, D/s dynamics, switching, and the sometimes messy intersections of power exchange and polyamory. When she isn't teaching or tying, she co-produces Tethered Together with her dear friend, Ozma. She enjoys practicing aerial arts such as lyra and drinking the biggest ice coffee available.

Slab_me_harder (she/her) explores emotions, capabilities, and vulnerabilities thru rope. Her goal is to create mesmerizing and emotional rope scenes and performances that seek to subvert traditional rope norms and build space for queer community in rope.

Spontaneity is a rope switch and self-suspender, with over 8 years of experience in suspension. Over the years, she has studied with a wide variety of riggers, bottoms, and self-suspenders of various styles and origins. Depending on the moment, she approaches rope from analytical, adventurous, cooperative, or submissive mindsets. She is motivated to teach others so they have the tools and mindsets to discover their own way.

Tensegrity (they/he) is an international genderqueer and neurodivergent educator and performer. They have been obsessing over rope since 2018 and teaching since 2020. He puts on very dense classes packed to the brim with information and prides himself on making each class valuable to every skill level in the room. They are passionate about how the rope community can expand by both considering parallel outside knowledge bases and by challenging the status quo especially in the ways that are most uncomfortable. His super power in teaching is leveraging an advanced attention to detail to break down even complex topics into manageable bites.

The_Silence started photographing his rope work over 12 years ago and shoots multiple times a week. He developed his style through adapting what he's learned in classes, the internet, and a whole LOT of trial & error. Because of photography, he's had to push himself and gain the knowledge from multiple teachers and sources over the years.

Nick (he/him) has been tying in the Seattle area since 2015 and teaching rope classes since 2018. He loves creative suspensions, sadistic floor ties, and nerding out about rope techniques. He brings an analytical approach to rope bondage and is passionate about teaching kink in a way that is both memorable and engaging. He has presented at Kinfest, taught internationally, and appeared on Shibari Study. He can be found on Instagram @Tie_Rope_Take_Photo and Fetlife @Provocations.

Mistress Trixie LaPointe is a professional rope artist, dominatrix, performer and educator based in NYC. She has been exploring rope since 2018 and has been sharing her knowledge via classes and private lessons since 2021. She has been regularly seen working as a service top or performing at Le Bain at the Standard Hotel, House of Love, House of X, Tempo by Hit Me Up, Femme Fatale, Chemistry, Hot Stuff, Folsom Street East, Folsom Street SF, NDC and other events around NYC. She is proud proprietor of her own studio space La Maison Privée in Manhattan, where she holds various sessions as well as private lessons, small classes and events.

Val (they/them) is a bottom, kink educator and glutton for suffering. They specialize in improvisational play and maintaining in-scene relationship dynamics. They teach private lessons on rope bottoming and beginning rope classes with Full Circle Kink. They can be found on Instagram @valley_roses and Fetlife @ValleyRoses.

Violet Bights (she/her) is a rope bondage lover living in Western Massachusetts. She has a passion for exploring pain, tenderness, and big emotions through rope bondage through both tying and being tied. Violet has taught for organizations such as Tethered Together, Shibari Study, Ropecraft, Karada House, Bondage Expo Dallas, and ShibariVA.