This is a 2-hour insight to a 2-day workshop consept.
There are many workshops where the discussion and exercises focus on how the rigger can practice semenawa. This is a workshop, conceptualized and developed by Saara Rei and Natasha NawaTaNeko, where the discussion and exercises focus on how the bottom can practice semenawa.
We will combine somatic bodywork practices with practical, hands-on tying exercises, where the rigger and the bottom will work together to reach a “semenawa state of mind.” While every exercise will focus on the experience of the bottom, with the aid of the rigger, there will still be a lot to learn for the rigger as well, as kinbaku is a practice of relating to and understanding each other – when one half grows, the whole will grow… and in that sense, it is impossible to truly separate the learnings of each role from one another. What we attempt to do here in this workshop is to simply shift the focus to the bottom’s practice.
Semenawa can be seen and experienced in many ways, as the meaning of the word “seme” is multifaceted and contextual. Semenawa is generally associated with torturous, challenging rope bondage. In this workshop, we will focus on both physical and emotional techniques that can be particularly useful when practicing semenawa, as well as in meeting challenges in our everyday lives! We will combine somatic bodywork practices and theory with tying exercises in order to build a base of understanding within what we are doing: rope bondage. The first day will focus more on practical techniques and limits, and the second day will focus more on power dynamics and emotional work.