Fundamentals 1: Building a Practice

Fundamentals is a series within the Queerope Berlin 2024 conference that goes back to the basics and way beyond. Andrea Rimon will re-define what the fundamentals of rope are and offer classes suited for beginners as well as anyone who wants to go back to a beginner mindset and/or approach the beginnings again in a completely new way.

What does it mean to think of tying fundamentals outside of just learning frictions, patterns, and general BDSM social mores? This class series will be an exploration of what it means to build a queer trying practice that takes less for granted. Drawing on techniques taken from physical theater, dance, contact improvisation, and other movement arts, we will think deeply about what it means to think of tying not just as a sexual practice, but as a form of collectively devised experience with ties to art, politics, and the rest of life.

This hands-on and discussion based class will delve into what it means to cultivate an intentional tying practice. We’ll talk about Andrea’s approach to the necessary and contradictory processes of movement patterning and deconstruction and how we can build towards a style that reflects our interests and politics in its very fundamentals. We’ll dive into deloading and deroling techniques from intimacy coordination and choreography to think through what it means to aim for sustainable tying practice that has room to deal with fraught topics and unexpected responses.

Partner: Layal

Format: workshop, discussion

Minimum knowledge level: –

participants: 8

What to bring: ropes, pen and paper

Constellations: all constellations welcome

Accessibility: classes will have a significant portion of discussion, so we are switching from being on the floor to occasionally standing