Classes for the Previous Event (Spring Break 2023)
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Debra Slade
Sexual Intimacy for Women Who Love Women
Have you ever wondered about the term “lesbian bed death”? Let’s discuss how to avoid it. Gain a 16 -day plan to bring back and maintain intimacy in your relationship.
610 Orgasms You Must Try
We are “built” with the capacity to reach orgasms of different types. Learn 10 of them and have fun practicing.
Saddle up
What, why and how do strap-on harnesses work. Harnesses and dildos are made in a wide variety of styles, with variations in how the harness fits the wearer, how the dildo attaches to the harness, as well as various features intended to facilitate stimulation of the wearer or a sexual partner. Exploring the wide variety of sexual activities and lubrication that can be used to ease insertion.
Diva Electrique
If it Conducts, it’s a Toy!: Sensation Play with Violet Wands
Have you ever heard the distinct crackle of an electric wand and wondered how it might feel? Are looking to dive into the realm of electric kink and seeking inspiration in building your own kit? Are you new to playing with electricity and wish to learn more about how to get the best out of these wonderful little devices? If any of these apply, then this is a class for you!
This interactive presentation will cover tips on how to pick the electrical wand that is right for your needs and factors of safe and responsible play as we work our way through the various techniques and sensations that a wand can provide along with the many different conductive toys that you can find in the least expected of places.
Perfect TENS: Sensation Play with Electro-stimulation Devices
Violet wands may be all the rage, but they are far from the only means to elicit some fabulous reactions from a willing participant. These “mostly” silent devices can really bring a whole new level to your play. Intramuscular devices can be a wonderful addition to any toy chest by providing a nice constant buzz, or administering some very well-placed jolts to give your scene that extra special touch. We will discuss everything that you will need to add some current to your kink repertoire. Types of devices, costs, and skillful application will all be covered, as well as many of the DIY aspects that place intramuscular devices truly within a class all their own.
Glossy Deviance: An Introduction to Latex Kink
Interested and new to latex and rubber but are unsure of what can get you started? Perhaps you have a general basis and want to build upon your knowledge on what factors to consider in purchasing gear and garments? Does the notion of wearing such a slinky or tight material intrigue or excite you? How about the fashion aspect, gas masks, or even the “greatest hug” of complete, immobile enclosure in a vacbed?We will cover the basics with getting you started in experiencing your own latex-related interests: care, maintenance, storage of rubber and latex items, and explore the history, types of gear and fashion, different grades of material, and the processing that can determine its longevity and durability throughout the years. We will touch upon the foundation, process, and different tools needed to construct your own pieces in the future.
Duke of Pudding
Play 101: You Little Prick!
Almost no one enjoys getting their blood drawn at the Doctor’s Office, and yet needle and blood play is one of the most fascinating scenes in our dungeons. During this workshop, Duke will cover basic physiology and safety when breaking the skin, and then show how you can use needles in a variety of scenes, from artistic to cathartic. Additionally, he will provide materials and hands-on time for people to place needles on a demo bottom in a controlled environment.
Catharsis Through Ritual: Letting Go, Pulling In
As conscious, caring, emotional beings, we sometimes find that we are lugging psychological baggage that we just can’t seem to put down. Some people find that talking with a professional can be helpful, while others may seek alternative methods. Join Duke and Gogo for a discussion of some of those “alternative” methods of finding emotional release through ritualized kink, including participation in a ritual.
Flesh Hooks: What a Big Prick
Considered by some to be the ultimate level of play piercing. Considered by others as a gateway to another plane of consciousness. Whichever viewpoint YOU choose to consider them from, they’re guaranteed to provide a unique experience. Join Duke in a brief discussion about the history and intent behind flesh hooks in play and spirituality, followed by a demonstration of the technical aspects of the piercing itself. This workshop is designed to demystify some of the physical unknowns you might have, so that you can choose when and where to be pierced and experience the psychological unknowns for yourself.
Hooks Suspension: That Flying Prick
Whether practiced as an act of extreme showmanship or used as a path to meditative states of altered consciousness, hook suspensions are a fascinating practice that has been used globally for thousands of years and brought into the modern era by a handful of notables including Alan Faulkner, Stelarc, Fakir Musafar, and others. Join Duke for a brief discussion of the “how and why” behind suspending from one’s own flesh before witnessing a suspension demonstration.
GOGO LUNCH ROUNDTABLE “Polyamory Toolkit”
Hellebore
Self Care vs. Community Care
What does it mean to take care of yourself? What about taking care of your community? What does it mean to call someone in vs. calling someone out? Both kinds of care are a balancing act between comfort and difficult but necessary tasks. Join Hellebore for a discussion on determining what kind of care you need, how to pursue it, and for the complex conversation about how to care for our community even when it means enduring discomfort for the sake of fostering group safety. We will close by talking about how to approach self care after doing difficult community care work.
Impact 101
Are you interested in exploring impact play or do you need a refresher on some of the basics? Hellebore will walk you through how to approach impact as both a top and a bottom, and will give a demo of different implements and impact styles. We will start with basic impact scene negotiation, walk through different approaches and mentalities you can go into an impact scene with, discuss safety and do’s and don’ts, and get into the endless array of tools at your disposal as you explore impact play.
Impostor Syndrome in Kink Spaces
How do you take charge when you don’t feel worthy? What happens when it seems like everyone around you can play harder, take more, and knows more than you? Impostor syndrome affects so many of us, both newcomers and seasoned kinksters alike. This is a space to touch base with our own insecurities, discuss ways to tackle those feelings, and provide a much-needed sanity check for each other while we learn to see and accept ourselves wholly.
Lady Steele
BDSM & the Law
People participate in Bondage, Discipline, and Sadism/Masochism, all the time not knowing the potential legal pitfalls. It is time to get down to brass tacks. What legal dangers are inherent to what it is we do? The simple truth is, legal issues abound when it comes to participating in BDSM and always have. It can affect several areas in our lives, including family, criminal, civil, estate planning, healthcare, and even businesses law. How can you prepare yourself for the worst case scenario? Come find out when Lady Steele presents BDSM and the Law, which will also include the newest updates from the National Coalition of Sexual Freedom.
Navigating Neurovariance in the BDSM
Lady Steele is a Femme Lesbian Alpha Leather slave who is Autistic and has been formally diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. She was inspired by her own experiences to bring forward the discussion about what it means to have variations in the human brain and cognition (for instance in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions) when you are a member of the BDSM life. When do neurovariances need to be discussed, if at all? In this class you will hear about what it is like to be a person in the BDSM life that has neurovariances and how those variances affect her BDSM life. Other topics that will be covered will include how neurovariances can affect safety, negotiations, play, and aftercare. Lady Steele will give practical “how to’s” in these areas through sharing her own personal experiences.
Protocols 101: The Good, The Bad, & the Painful
Protocols, etiquette, decorum, rituals, cultural standards, and social arbiters…what does it all mean? Join Lady Steele as she guides you through “real life” and “lifestyle” protocols and shows how they are intertwined, even in our everyday lives. She will illustrate how protocols do not have to be a frightening or intimidating proposition as they are tools of inclusion, not exclusion. She will also show how the “dark side of protocols” can be savored by “both sides of the slash” when incorporated.
Laura Boyle
Polyamory 101
This class is for those curious about polyamory and consensual non-monogamy, including: polyamorous vocabulary, building relationship agreements, dealing with jealousy, is non-monogamy right for you?, common bumps in the road, relationship check-ins, coming out to family and friends, and more!
Boundary Expression and Enforcement
As a certified People Pleaser and Anxious Conflict Avoider, for many years I struggled immensely with communicating needs and boundaries with partners, friends, and metamours. Communication of needs and boundaries is the foundation of self-care in all relationships, but especially polyamorous relationships, where additional moving parts may necessitate additional communication around situational and emotional changes. This class is a roundup of strategies that I’ve been offered over the years by therapists, partners, and my own imagination, including the ones that don’t work for me but do for others I know, to help attendees build their toolbox for this type of interaction.
Stories We Can Play: Narrative Ageplay
Many people get involved in age play for either nurturing or dark dynamics that fit very classic Daddy/girl, Mommy/boy dynamics, and while these are beautiful and interesting, this class is half about playing specific narrative scenes within those dynamics, for folks trying on these roles who need some inspiration on how to play them; and half about age play scenes totally outside that dynamic – Bigs who are coaches, grandparents, teachers, aunts, other authority figures – or scenes where littles play together in power exchange. As a teacher in multiple dynamics that sometimes involve age play in our play, including switching in a little-for-little dynamic, I love sharing inspiration for many narrative directions these kinds of scenes can take and opening the floor to a few minutes of shared discussion for folks to share their inspiration and experience to close the class.
MagisterNodi & Miss_R3d
Introduction to Emotional Sadism and Masochism
Sadism and masochism come in a variety of different styles. Whether it’s from the sting of a whip or the thud of rough body play, we find delight in giving or receiving pain. But not all pain leaves physical marks. Introduction to ES&M is an exploration of mental pain and emotional anguish. Jason and Red will explore the 5 W’s of Emotional Sadism and Masochism using audience participation to build a hypothetical scene. The class will conclude with a brief demonstration based on the hypothetical scene.
Sensory Manipulation: An Immersive Experience
Dissecting the senses and exploring them from their highest to their lowest, we will transcend mere deprivation to discover the beautifully horrific disarray of true manipulation. This interactive 4D experience will make you reconsider everything you thought you knew about how you experience the world. Strip yourself of gags, blindfolds, and everyday kink toys and step outside the box.
Making the Most of the Worst: Playing with Trauma
WARNING: This is an advanced class. Many of us have come to kink with a variety of horrible and unfortunate events in our past. Despite the best efforts of terrible people, we have made it through (mostly) and are now learning to live with the trauma that – like it or not – has played a role in defining our sexuality. In this class we will be exploring what it takes to play with trauma, sexualizing personal pain and taking control of those formative experiences. We’re going to talk about: why people play with trauma, types of ways to incorporate trauma into play, engaging ethically and risk aware, identifying scarecrows, special negotiations, and tools for processing.
MR O & Toy
Pinning for Pain
Sometimes we’d rather hold our partner still with our own body while we hurt them. We will look at how we can apply pressure with our body weight to make them uncomfortable, restrict their breathing, or keep them defenseless while we hurt them. This is a hands-on workshop, any clothing worn should be comfortable, and it is suggested to attend with a partner if possible. No experience needed.
Intro to Strangulation
This workshop provides an introduction to strangulation play (aka choking), including rope-based methods. Attendees who wish to do so will have the option of trying techniques on a partner, provided it falls within both of their risk profiles. Topics include: risks and risk mitigation negotiation type of choking play (air/blood) techniques & demonstrations optional hands on practice skill development
Why do I like this?? (bottom lead)
This class will explore elements of play often considered the most taboo – diving into someone’s psyche and finding ways to hurt them psychologically, emotionally, and sexually. Whether for an evening, a weekend, or longer; emotional masochism and humiliation can be very appealing to many – but often leaves us in pain or discomfort much longer than any physical wounds would last. We will explore different arrangements and ways to make this play as safe as possible: both from a bottom and top’s perspective. As well as look at ways to minimize long-term damage or trauma and what type of arrangement might be right for you. We will also discuss the elements of emotional-torture that will inflict the most amount of pain to your bottom and what pitfalls we face when we walk this line on a more prolonged basis.
How to take more pain: A Bottoms approach (bottom lead)
Don’t you love it when you get “top-splained” by well-meaning(?) Tops who think they know how bottoms process and tolerate painful experiences?
In this lecture/discussion, we’ll look at techniques for pain management (beyond being told just to “breathe”). We’ll discuss the differences in types of pain (joint, deep tissue, skin, surface, abrasions, etc), and look at ways to lengthen and endure more in our scenes. We will also talk about active-bottoming and ways we can help our Tops bring us further than we thought possible. Please keep in mind that this is a bottom-focused workshop, and we ask that all participants be in bottom headspace while participating. This class will be part lecture, part discussion.
Ms. J
Fire 201 Advanced Fireplay – The Firestorm
So you learned basic fireplay, and now you want to learn those bigger, better, badder fire techniques. Ms. J will teach you how to use the fire glove, play with mousse, use flash cotton, play with butane bubbles, and how to throw a fireball. Each of these topics will include their own specific safety tips and techniques. As time permits, a hands-on portion will be included.
Fire Cupping
Have you seen those big round bruises on someone’s back and thought “Those are some really big hickeys”; OR heard of cupping as one method of Traditional Chinese Medicine. But then ask yourself how does cupping relate to us kinky folks? Ms. J will start with an explanation of cupping and its history. She will teach you basic fire safety precautions specific to cupping. You will learn what is in a typical cupping kit. If there is time she will also show and demo a suction cupping set. Then watch a demonstration on how to give your bottom a nice massage; an evil massage; or just have them look like the victim of a tentacle rape!
Fire Flogging – Focus on Bottoms
Do you want to be the whirling dervish of flame? From the amazing WHOOSH sound of the flogger, to the sight of dancing flames, you can be the inferno. One of the largest spectacles of fireplay you are likely to encounter in a dungeon; and one that is prohibited in most play spaces.
Join Ms. J for a discussion about fuel, tools, and maximizing safety when fire flogging your bottom. Learn to assist and function as a fire safety for another top; and then as a “cross” to hold up the bottom. Ms. J will instruct you how to safely light, and extinguish your floggers. Those brave enough to experience this fiery dance on the receiving end, will receive taste of fire flogging themselves. This class is for the advanced/experienced fireplayer. If you are a beginner, you are invited to attend, but Ms. J advises that you to wait to perform this skill until you are comfortable and knowledgeable with fireplay.
Ravenous
Ramping Up the Intensity, Flogging 301
This advanced flogging workshop will focus on more intense flogging techniques. It will begin with a safety lesson focusing on risks involved with intense flogging, negotiations, communication, and strike zones. We will then go on to discuss and demonstrate using speed and power to drive more intense flogging scenes. Edgy techniques such as intentional wrapping and fear play will also be demonstrated and discussed. Questions will be encouraged throughout the class. If time permits we will end with an opportunity for participants to explore the topics and techniques that have been discussed. Participants are encouraged to bring floggers and a bottom.
The Enema of My Enemy Is My Friend
A discussion class on the topic of enemas and the like. It is all about what you can pump into your butt. Sensual to sadistic, medical or messy, we will discuss the reasons for, techniques, equipment used, and substances associated with enemas. Covering figging and other butt safe insertables that can be used in conjunction with enemas. Time permitting, examples may be demonstrated.
Rusty
Exhibitionism
What is exhibitionism: is it the desire to be observed while doing certain things, or a dramatic
way of saying you really like attention? For many, it’s a bit of both. Society conditions us to stifle any urges we have in this realm by framing it as shameful or attention-seeking, but the BDSM community offers an excellent space to explore this kink safely. Exhibitionism can be
empowering, foster emotional growth and acceptance, and if you’re inclined to embrace it,
enhance your experience in public play spaces. This moderated discussion invites both the curious and the experienced to participate as we ask, answer, and learn about our shared interests. We will touch on what it means to be an exhibitionist, what that looks like for a variety of folks, ethical issues surrounding exhibitionism in spaces where consent is not explicit, and how you, too, might be an exhibitionist.
Grab Bag
Got a question you’re afraid to ask in person? Have a topic you feel doesn’t get enough
attention and might not fill an hour? Do you want to share something related to your experience in community and haven’t yet found the right venue? Well, this is your chance! Attendees will write their questions, comments, and ideas on anonymous pieces of paper which will be pulled at random for discussion in this session. Ranging from hilarious to incredibly vulnerable, you’re guaranteed to hear something you had no idea would come up this weekend.
Negotiation
A critical component of everything from casual pick-up play to TPE agreements in D/s
relationships, a detailed and robust negotiation is the foundation upon which we build our
ethical, responsible kink entanglements. In this workshop we’ll go over the basics, but also
delve into the darker corners and discuss why it’s important to be so incredibly thorough.
Attendees will leave with a framework for future discussion and a template designed to take
these conversations to the next level.
Arthur & Lady
Rope 101
From a brief history to the basic skills needed to get started, this class offers beginners a good foundation into the art of Rope Bondage. Topics covered include: safety and risk concerns, a brief history of modern Japanese-inspired rope bondage, equipment and more. Students will have the opportunity to learn some common beginning ties and are asked to bring 2-3 bundles (8 meters or 30 feet) of their preferred rope and a cutting tool.
Art of Hishi 301
This class is a hands-on advanced lesson in the art of the Hishi, also known as the Diamond Pattern. This is for those students who have a working knowledge of suspensions and will show how to incorporate this style of tie with dynamic suspensions.
Sadistic Ties to Make Your Masochist Happy
This hands-on class will teach students several simple ties that will make a masochist very happy. A fun class for all levels of rope skill, students will need 1-2 bundles of their preferred rope and a cutting tool. While there is no prerequisite for this class, knowledge of a single column tie would be helpful.
Suspensions with Bigger Bottoms
This Intermediate/Advanced level class helps students understand and learn skills needed to be able to suspend bigger bottoms. Pre-requisite: Working knowledge of uplines and suspension chest & hip harnesses, students without these skills may audit/observe the class but will not be allowed to suspend.
Swinky Life
Bridging the Gap
In this open roundtable forum, we discuss the challenges kinksters can face when engaging with ethical non-monogamists, aka swingers. We go in-depth on the differences in Consent, Negotiation, and Social Norms. We discuss how these ideas are firmly in place in both communities but operate very differently, how being the owner of the differences can be empowering, and how to use that empowerment productively.
World’s Okayest Poly Foursome
This workshop is more of a “Meet the Poly Foursome” format. In this, we discuss the challenges we have faced and continue to face in our day-to-day lives, how “being Poly” has changed our lives, as well as the way other people in both communities relate to us, and how we balance all of the various pushes and pulls, and work together to make this an amazing lifestyle choice for all of us.
Swinky Life’s Beginner Bedroom Rope Play
This is a hands-on workshop for learning rope skills specifically focused on light bedroom play. We teach a basic single column, a basic double column, and specific tie-off skills well suited to bedroom environments. We then begin creatively combining those basic skills into fun restraints designed to enhance bedroom play. As with all Swinky Life workshops, our goal is that attendees learn good useful skills that they can leave, go straight back to their room, and begin having fun. This class may be just the invitation you need to dive into fun rope play.
Team Soup
Brutality: The sometimes ugly truth of M/s
The prey is caught in the terrifying gaze of the fierce, violent and animalistic Beast. This is the tale of both the Beast and the prey. This class moves us well-beyond the core of rough body play and involves far more than the over-used and increasingly watered down growl of primal play. We will explore the animalistic brutality of savagery. This workshop isn’t for the faint of heart as it focuses on play that doesn’t follow the usual structure or rules of play. It’s time to hunt our prey and tear them apart
Under your boot: Stomping, licking and fucking!
This ain’t about boot blacking… this ain’t about leather care… this is all about boot love, boot violence and boot sex. Why do people like boots? How does such a utilitarian object turn into one of the most fetishized items in our lifestyle? Come have some Team Soup style fun with boots.
my ass is Owned: How to remain healthy & whole while living in a power dynamic.
We have all seen it before… the collar goes onto the neck and the personality of the slave seems to get watered down until they almost disappear. So is it possible and realistic to believe that a person can enter into a 24/7 M/s dynamic but not have their core personality get lost? Hell yes! Some of us are still big personalities who retain our core selves and personal strength. So what does it take to maintain your personal identity and strength while still fully committing to the M/s dynamic? Come share in our passion for making sure that people remain whole and strong while walking the M/s path.
Realistic Conflict Resolution Within 24/7 Dynamics: Both parties are heard and the dynamic stays intact
Let’s face it, we have all seen M/s conflict resolution classes that propose one of two options: set the dynamic aside while in conflict or fall back to the dynamic and remove the voice of the slave completely. But do either of these options work or even make sense? Nope! So let’s talk about how to resolve conflict like adults in an M/s dynamic.
Travis Wilson
Bullwhip 101
Noise, pain, passion, sensations of all kinds. From the gentle feel of leather wrapping around the body to harsh cracks resounding against skin, leaving marks as harsh as you dare, or kisses as gentle as a breeze. Single tails can take you all the way, however fast, and however hard you want. Loving and sensual, cruel and biting. Come learn the basics on what makes them work, how to use them safely, how to choose the style that works for you, how to practice, and how to play them in ways that excite both you and your partner. You will be surprised at the ease in which you can learn this exciting BDSM tool.
Bullwhip 201
You already know about the noise, pain, passion, head games and sensations of all kinds. You have heard about the fun, you have watched others play. Now it is your turn to actually learn how to do this stuff, how to crack that whip in the right way. How to play in safe but fun and exciting ways. Come join us. We will put whips in your hand. We will show you how easy it is to learn to crack the whips, and to play in ways that both you and your partner will love.
Knives and other Sharp Pointy Things
Blood passion. Blood lust. Not just seeing blood as a byproduct of a scene to be carefully cleaned off, but having the blood as the focal point of your scene to be kissed and licked and loved. Going a bit beyond sane sometimes. Focusing on the HEAT, and the intimacy. Cover yourself and your partner. Feel them, taste them, smell them. Think of sex without condoms but more heat.
Neither a safety class nor a “learn to pierce class”, this is not where to come for beginning blood play knowledge. Yes, we will touch on safety, because we are playing with serious amounts of blood. This class is about the passion of playing with blood. Through cutting with knives, scalpels, piercing, vampire gloves, and blood cupping. Maybe vampire and slasher movies turn you on or touch a nerve. Maybe you just KNOW that blood equates to heat which equates to passion. Let’s learn together how to make these scenes about bonding, connection and sex, and not about technique.
Mindfucks 101
One of the most common forms of BDSM is Mindfucks. We do them by themselves. We combine them with other forms of play. Think knife play, interrogations, and so many others. For some Bottoms, nothing compares to the excitement and fear brought on by a good Mindfuck.
What are Mindfucks? How do we plan them, from the simplest to the most complex? How do we “get consent” for something the Bottom does not even know is going to happen? How to we execute our plan that “says” we are doing one thing, when we are actually doing something else? How about after care? And really important, like a magician, how to we handle the “reveal”. How do we tell the Bottom what was really happening? And are there times that it is better to keep our magic tricks secret and not reveal what was really happening?
Wicked Wanda
CBF, Edging and Sensual Cock Play
This class is all about Cock ‘n Ball fun! I will show you hand techniques that can fluctuate between exquisite pleasure and maddening frustration that you can use on a partner or submissive with low pain tolerance who still like to be teased. We will talk about edging and orgasm torture and, penis pressure points.
One-Night Spanks- Safely Cruising in the Dungeon
Sometimes as we navigate the Dungeon for the first time, it can feel overwhelming to approach someone and once you do, now what?! How do you negotiate on the fly? How do you graciously accept a no answer? What is protocol?! Join me in what I hope will be a very interactive discussion on how to approach, discuss, negotiate, and safely play when all you want is something casual and fun.
Consensual Non-Consensual Discussion
There is a lot of confusion and misconceptions when it comes to CNC play. How do you negotiate when consent is freely given? What levels of communications need to happen? What are the basics of CNC? Let’s have an open discussion on this. I am very much looking forward to moderating what I hope will be a great open discussion.
