The Pleasure of Rope is undoubtedly the definitive shibari documentary, especially now there is a full 3-DVD version out now with an extra 100 minutes of unseen footage! As with all these things, the director submitted a lot of footage he expected to get rejected by our censors, the BBFC. However, we are delighted to …
We are giving away a FREE free shibari class! Yes, one month’s free tuition at ShibariClasses! Esinem and Nina Russ bring top quality teaching to you, anywhere, any time with inexpensive monthly access or, in this case, for absolutely nothing. Why this generosity? Well, we know the evidence will speak for itself and you will …
I read a post in Rope Incidents on Fetlife entitled ‘Mainline rope break on deadlift’ (you need to be logged in as a member to see it) which prompted this heads-up. Fortunately, it didn’t involve the model being dropped but it could easily have ended in serious injury. These incidents are becoming far too common in shibari …
Here’s our latest tutorial: ‘Hishi patterns made easy’ Teaching the method, not just ties In this course, you will learn a versatile technique to create the iconic diamond (hishi) pattern that can be used on almost any part of the body. Most importantly, Nina explains how the pattern is formed and the rules involved …
I have been kindly allowed to reproduce this excellent article on shibari performance from Amekitsune’s blog which talks about reactions to performances and, in particular, from mainstream audiences. By the way, if you are already a performer, model or considering becoming one, ShibariClasses have started a new series just for you to help you on your …
I wrote some years ago ‘Bondage for people, not parcels’ for Rope, Bondage, and Power by Robert J. Rubel, Ph.D. and Lee Harrington to try to explain the psychology of bondage. I think it still stands up well today, in spite of the fact that the art of shibari is evolving exponentially in the west. Even five years is …
We have just uploaded Performance techniques: Part II ‘Stagecraft for shibari models’, a very comprehensive tutorial by Kitty Rae. Kitty is an international bondage model who has performed with many of the the west’s best shibari artists and also has extensive exposure as a fetish model. Combined with her developing skills as a rigger, this …
This experiment shows the effect of tension in a gote (TK). Correct tension and wrap position are key to tying a safe gote/TK. It is a common error to tie unnecessarily tightly, often to try to make poorly positioned wraps stay in place. This somewhat crude experiment shows how the forces increase exponentially with wrap …
We have been upgrading production standards further at ShibariClasses. I have recently bought my own second camera, a Canon 700D, since before I was borrowing one previously from Mo, who helps out with BOUND. Having my own second camera should mean that I can calibrate them closely and leave them that way to give consistent …
Over the past few months, I have been working with a major yarn and rope manufacturer to create the perfect shibari rope. What’s perfection? The highest quality fibre is needed for starters since you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. This is why I have gone to source and to a supplier …