FEAR AND EROTIC KNIFEPLAY—THE KINDEST unCUT OF ALL

You know the feeling, that tightening in your gut, the dry mouth, feeling your heart pound in your chest as your breath comes quicker??? It’s fear. You can feel it, you can see it, you can taste it, and sometimes, you can even smell it. But what causes fear? Why do we fear? This workshop will help you to understand what fear is. It will cover various aspects and elements of fear ranging from where and how it originates in the brain to how we can incorporate it in a scene and what can happen when we do. Fear is presented not just as an endpoint but also how fear can be used as a means to an end.

Lastly, the workshop will explore various techniques as to how the creation and eroticization of fear can be used as a basis or as an enhancement of play. It will focus on playing with knives without all the muss and fuss and risk of blood and illustrate how cold steel can end up producing some “hot times” by demonstrating how to use blades while staying just this side of blood play. Learn how a sharp blade and a sharp wit can combine to provide a unique experience for both the top and bottom.

By the end of the class, attendees will have a better understanding of fear, knives, and a greater appreciation of how to incorporate both to reflect their own personal style.

Presenter: Caro

Talk the Talk but can you Walk the Walk

This is a frank open discussion regarding Leather and how we as a community try to live up to our tenants’ of Honor, Integrity, Family, Loyalty, Respect, and Honoring the past while moving into the future. Some of things we will be discussing are titles, earning leather, are you really who you say you are, gossip, and vetting.

Presenter: Master Ces

Drummer to the Pansexual Movement: Inclusivity & Exclusivity in the Modern Leather Tribe

An open roundtable discussion about the evolution of the modern Leather Tribe. How do we guarantee the future of our lifestyle while acknowledging and protecting those traditions from the past that sets us apart from others. In  the delicate social environments and rules of “Political Correctiveness,” Inclusivity and Pansexuality, is it possible to find a place at the table for everyone while holding true to the protocols and values of what Leather was or what it has become. Frank and open discussion will be encouraged!

Presenter: Master Olivier & pup sparky

The Art of the Bite2 – Once Bitten, Twice the Pain

Odaxelagnia – The fetish of biting or being bitten.  A sometimes misunderstood but widely practiced fetish. We will explore the historical evolution of biting as it has appeared in religious text, folklore and literature.

The majority of the class will be spent in a rountable demonstration format, discussing technique, practice, application and safety. There will be plenty of opportunity to learn and share your ideas about this fetish, from its simplest forms to more complex and animistic/ritualistic concepts.

With today’s restrictions on travel, this is an “Unarmed” fetish play that can be applied with little or no extraneous tools or toys, making it very easy and fun to explore the more wild and animal needs of your partner(s) or playmates.

Presenter: Master Olivier & pup sparky

Welcome to the Community: Your Reality Check is About to Bounce!

Whether it is your first event or your 100th, this workshop brings to light things that we all need to keep in mind. Each of us at some point will be approached by a newcomer and we should all strive to pass on information that is beneficial. It is our responsibility to ensure that as they embark on the journey through this vast Community that they are armed with insightful and honest information. Discussion from workshop participants is highly encouraged.

Presenter: Ian

Power Currupts? An Exploration of Total Power Exchange Relationships (TPE)

Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? Many seem to think so. Join Master Obsidian and His slave namaste in this discussion of TPE myth, legend and transitions. This class will cover many of the concerns people often have in entering into a TPE relationship. Additionally we will explore some of the myths and ideas one may encounter concerning TPE. Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? What does it mean to have no limits? Is this even possible? How does one transition to a TPE relationship safely? And much more. Expect this class to be interactive, so bring your questions, your ideas and your stories.

Presenters: Master Obsidian & slave manaste

Practical Protocols amnd Rituals

Master Obsidian and slave namaste will lead a discussion about protocol and ritual in the scene and how they can be used to center and ground both Master and slave. What exactly are protocols? How are they used? What do you need to do to create and establish your own protocols and rituals? We will discuss the vanishing art of protocol and explore the many ways in which protocols and rituals can be used to strengthen and elevate the bond between Master and slave.

Presenters: Master Obsidian & slave manaste

Pain and Pleasure: Sacred Pain: Physical Sensations, Spiritual Transcendence

While many involved are all about the sensations of pleasure and pain, few take time to appreciate the broad scope regarding the nature and the dynamism of both. Many speak of or experience “subspace” without quite understanding its genesis. This class was developed to afford an understanding pain and pleasure.

From understanding historical “pain rites” to the basics of the neurobiology and the physiology of pain and pleasure, to the exploration of various techniques, to incorporating aspects of Tantra, Yoga, and meditation, to gaining an appreciation of spiritual aspects, this is a comprehensive workshop of how pain and or pleasure can transmute and transcend to the physical and spiritual ecstasy.

Attendees will gain a greater understanding of not just what we do, but a broader appreciation of why we do, and where it can take ultimately transport us.

Presenter: Caro

WHOLE BODY SM – I want it all!

Why stop with backs and asses, breasts and balls? The whole body is a canvas for SM techniques that range from erotic to excruciating. This is a mixed bag of techniques for every area from tip of the head to toes of the feet, beginner to advanced. This is indulging in sensation on every bit of skin available to you. For those of you into long scenes, this helps extend time as you can work all over instead of using up one section of canvas and quitting. Mmmm, can you play with a collarbone? The back of a knee? The small of a back? An eyelash? You can. We'll encourage discussion, imagination, and innovation.

Presenters: Whipmaster Bob & bootpig

LONG TERM SERVICE RELATIONSHIPS

What are the joys of being in service? The little things that come forward each day and remind us that we're in the right place at the right time? What are the signs and markers that we've made a monumental decision in the path that we're living, and how do we receive the joys that service can bring to us? For many of us, there is a great deal of discussion about how to find a way into service and partner selection, but sometimes there isn't the discussion about life in service once those decisions have been made. What are the stages of faith and trust we go through? How about our methods for coping?

The concepts of being in service are often limited to just partnered service, but there are those among us finding their joy through service to organizations, groups, the community as a whole. How does the single service-motivated person develop their service during their time without a partner? What about the grieving person that is not yet ready to partner but needs a place for expression of their being? Expressing service can be a singular focus on an individual, or a spiritual oneness with the universe. Finding the joy in every moment in service, including those tough, painful moments is an adventure unto itself, filled with opportunities for accountability, transparency and development. Reaching your potential while also experiencing the perfect joy of the moment.

Presenters: bootpig

Face Play

Face Play enters an intriguing "taboo" area by engaging SM techniques above the collarbone. The edge of having an area of the body that is normally highly protected and rarely left vulnerable, the edge of wondering if anything will show the next day and wondering what people would think, what you would think, is a remarkable adrenalin rush. Face Play definitely enters the realm of the R.A.C.K. experience as primary concerns are reducing risk as much as possible while being highly aware of the increased risks associated with this area, and the delicious variety that one can enjoy. This is a play style that lends itself well to the limited budget -- and those with limited space as an intense Face Play scene can be created almost instantly with small tools and imaginative techniques.

Come learn, and experience the dynamics of playing above the collarbone: Facial percussion (Including open and closed hands), caning, flogging, piercing, pressure points, waxing and more will be discussed and demonstrated, with time for practice and personal interaction with the Instructors. This is a relatively advanced topic in many cases, and can be considered a form of edge play. Please be advised that this is not a forum for discussion on the sanity of practicing this type of play - but a safe and welcoming environment for those that wish to learn and explore the possibility of playing on this fringe of adrenalin. For those of you that have joined us before, you'll know that we're dedicated to personal experiences with people that attend our classes, and being sure you have the opportunity to ask as many questions as you need to. Please feel free to forward questions beforehand by email so we can be sure to address your personal concerns or interests.

Presenters: Whipmaster Bob & bootpig

Fears - For Submissives, Slaves, and Bottoms No Dominants Allowed!!

For Submissives, Slaves, and Bottoms No Dominants Allowed!!
This class is on fears both rational and irrational. From the beginner to the advanced it is a chance to learn from each other and discover that we all have fears, some we talk about and others we keep hidden and that in itself is a fear. We will be discussing how fears play into relationships. Some of the fears we will be discussing are trust, failure, communication, accidents, and death.

Presenter: Master Ces

Mixed Messages: How to address the conflict between aging and play

Everyone ages and EVERYONE ages into disability at some point in their life. This course is designed to teach participants how play can be affected by normal aging. In addition, participants will also learn how to adapt play in order to prevent and/or lessen the impact of aging on play. This course is designed for all ages and skill level.

Topics include: “Why do I have to wear my @#*&#@ glasses to flog!”…“Master can’t hear my safe word anymore!”…“Oh my aching wrist, elbow, knee, back (and not in a good way).”…“Good lord! The single tail never shredded her/his skin that badly before.”…“Oh yeah! It’s getting’ bitchy in here tonight!: A tale of female and male menopause.”…and many more.

Presenter: Doc

What's up Doc?

This course picks up where Mixed Messages leaves off. The course will be an open forum where participants can share their concerns about aging and play and ask Doc for ways to adapt their play to accommodate aging changes. You do not have to attend the Mixed Messages course in order to participate in What’s Up Doc. Participants are encouraged to bring their toys and a demo bottom if they wish for Doc to address individual physical issues of play.

Presenter: Doc

Singletails: 101, 201, 301, and a little PhD!

Does the sound of a singletail send shivers down your spine? Or make your pulse quicken and your blood boil? Then this class is for you!!! From bare bones basics, to some more advanced techniques. This real world class will show you practical application for using a singletail in your scenes. From energy work and sensual wraps binding you to each other, to marks and cuts and the artistry behind the whip, to a Top meets bottom duel with whips, this is a wonderful place for both admirers of the singletail, and those who fear it for unknown reasons.

Session 1 - understanding basic whip anatomy, basic throws, Session 2 - Advanced throws, wraps, bottom interaction, bottoms in motion, multiple tops with whips, multiple bottoms...

For many people, the singletail seems too intense of an experience, but a singletail in the right hands, with a bottom in the right space -- can cover every nuance from sensual kisses and laps at the skin, to intense fires on the skin. If you have a curiosity about this experience, come visit with us. If you fear the unknown, come visit us and have an opportunity to ask, touch, watch -- and if your heart takes you there, experience. If you adore these sensual, writhing creatures, do come share your passion with us. Safety, whip anatomy, whip care, and practice techniques, will also be discussed in this hands-on class. For those on the receiving end, we will also be discussing preparation, mind set, and physical presence. This class covers the full experience from both ends of the whip. We make every attempt in this class to allow everyone an opportunity to throw, and everyone that wishes, an opportunity to feel it. Novices, and advanced players alike, will benefit from this hands-on workshop. Please bring your favorite whips for practice time. If you have questions in advance, please feel free to drop us an email at whipmastrbob@cox.net or wmb.bootpig@gmail.com.

Presenter: WhipMaster Bob