Rope Podcast

The second part of the well-loved favourite episode of ‘rope memories’ from the podcast interviewees this year. Mya and fox love this episode and are excited to share these funny, poignant, explicit and delightful stories with you. Enjoy! The episode includes stories from: HuaHua Graydancer Ropunawa Lief+Icky

Time for one of our favourite episodes of the year - and one you love. Settle down and listen to four of our wonderful guests telling us about their most memorable rope scenes - what inspiration or ideas does it spark for you in your rope practice? The episode includes memories from: Addie Tifereth Marceline VQ Renee Robyn

In this episode, listener Your_Dapper_Dom asks fox and Mya a question about envy and imposter syndrome - something which the rope duo have interestingly differing views about, but both offer an intimate and vulnerable perspective on the topics. Listen now to hear them talk about: • Discussion of envy versus jealousy and how the same emotion word might be interpreted differently by different people • How fox and Mya do and don’t feel envious • The ways each of them try and manage feelings of envy when they arise • More practical techniques everyone can try • What imposter syndrome is • How it relates to rope • Perfectionsm, self-criticism and imposter syndrome links • Some ways to manage or handle feelings of imposter syndrome

Part 2 of our fabulous interview with Graydancer covers all things Ropecast, his incredibly long-running and early podcast all about rope bondage (can you believe it was one of the first 200 podcasts IN EXISTENCE! For perspective the Rope Podcast is now one of 2.4million out there!). Gray is a vivid and detailed storyteller and it’s fascinating to hear about such a core part of rope history. This episode explores: • The origin story of the Ropecast • Building connections in the rope world • Reflected knowledge and fame • Unexpected kindnesses and benefits his podcast was able to bring to rope people • Creating an oral history of the rope scene • ‘Have you seen these episodes?’ a plea from Gray • Dealing with backlash when you’re visible in the community • Some fascinating reflections on how the rope scene and our understanding of rope have changed over time • What he’s creating these days Graydancer got into rope bondage back at the turn of the millenium, when rope was 10 cents a foot. He started

fox and Mya were thrilled and honoured when Graydancer, whose Rope Podcast (Ropecast) has so far episodes spanning 14 years, accepted their invitation to guest on their younger Rope Podcast. Sadly Mya was sick (so sick!) with Covid on the date of the interview, but fox carried off their questions on his own. Graydancer got into rope bondage back at the turn of the millenium, when rope was 10 cents a foot. He started a podcast about bondage in 2005, and taught, performed, and organized events around rope until 2019, traveling throughout North America and Europe. In 2007 he organized the first of over 100 rope open-spaces (aka “GRUE”), and in 2016 with the help of friends put on the first “ROPECRAFT” event. He also worked to improve consent practices throughout the community. He is firmly bi-kinky as he loves polished leather just as much as tight rope. Currently he has retired from teaching and organizing kink, enjoying drawing pinups, lettering dirty words, and cigars, boots, and chocolate. • Where to fin

In this second episode with the wonderful HuaHua the podcast hosts go deeper into exploring what the Chinese rope scene is like. Hear all about: ◦ The rope scene in China versus HuaHua’s experiences in other parts of the world ◦ The political, cultural and social context and how it influences Chinese Shibari ◦ How she uses Shibari in performance art ◦ Handling the police interrupting her scenes ◦ Tying with Kinoko ◦ The challenges of taking photos of rope in China ◦ Private life versus public life in rope ◦ Censorship and its impact on events and education ◦ Leaving China to go back to Europe ◦ And more! HuaHua (she/her) is an artist, Shibari practitioner and teacher from the UK, currently based in Shanghai, She is the founder of Borderline Shibari, a platform dedicated to creating a mindful and conscious Shibari community. She believes that rope bondage is a process of exploring authenticity. To her, bondage creates a connection between interior and exterior, between the elevated and the underground.

HuaHua (she/her) is an artist, Shibari practitioner and teacher from the UK, currently based in Shanghai, She is the founder of Borderline Shibari, a platform dedicated to creating a mindful and conscious Shibari community. She believes that rope bondage is a process of exploring authenticity. To her, bondage creates a connection between interior and exterior, between the elevated and the underground. In addition to her Shibari work, her art work also includes, nude photography, physical theatre, installations and private sessions. Her work often derives from her BDSM practice, just as her Shibari teaching involves techniques transferred from other practices. HuaHua's Shibari teaching style is more centered around intention, expression and the emotional process of rope. The podcast hosts love hearing about rope in Asia (as they’re based in Thailand themselves), and were excited to hear more about the large, and growing, Chinese scene, including: ◦ Common Chinese fantasies about rope bondage ◦ Her journe

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the ability of your body to regulate the level of sugar in your blood is compromised. In this episode, listener absinthe-minded asks for any advice or safety precautions to mitigate risks from one partner in rope bondage having diabetes. Fox and Mya explore some of the potential issues that might come up and make suggestions about how you might work with this condition to have a great rope life. They discuss: • Why this episode might be relevant to you even if you don’t have diabetes, or tie with someone with diabetes • How to talk to medical professionals about rope (even if you don’t want to talk about rope) • Tips on including it in your negotiation • Some of the impact of diabetes on the body, and how to mitigate those issues • Handling some of the emotions that can come up around rope when you have a chronic health condition • Places to find more kinky research, as well as kinky researchers. NB: fox and Mya aren’t medical professionals, and always recom

RopuNawa first encountered Shibari and Kinbaku in 2008 at a performance in Australia with Arisue Go. This experience stayed with him, and he began his own journey with rope back in his home of Switzerland, first learning Osada Steve’s style with local teachers. Rather than stay with one style, however, he has been inspired by many, as he feels that there is not one way to tie - rather, the heart of his style lies in the needs of his model. Through the diversity within his approach, he can best respond to his partner’s needs and wants, focusing and appreciating the non-verbal connection that he creates with each tying partner. He currently teaches fulltime in his Studio in Basel (Switzerland), while travelling and teaching internationally with his muse @FreyaHellesdim. Fox has had an interest in Ropeunawa’s online classes for a while, and the podcast team were pleased to be able to talk to him about: ◦ His early inspirations from rope-related Manga and Hentai ◦ How he balances his desire to please his bo

‘Intent’ in rope is mentioned a lot in rope circles, but can feel a bit ethereal and hard to pin down. The podcast hosts think it’s pretty important to be on the same page about your intent in rope when you go into a scene - but what, then, IS intent in rope? And why, exactly, is it important? In this episode, Fox and Mya try to make the topic more practical and explore: * A definition of intent in rope and its possible consequences * Practical implications of not being on the same page about intent * The 12 types of possible intent that we could think of (so far!) * Questions to ask to try and understand each others’ intent better * When/whether you ‘should’ always share your intent with your scene partner * Can you have more than one intent during a scene? * The importance of agreeing not to play if your intents are incompatible (and why) * Ways to get over different intents (assuming you have overlap in your ‘venn diagram of intent’) * When and how intent can vary even between the same two partners

In episode 127, the podcast hosts explored with queer and trans rope educators and performance artists Lief Bound and Icarus how they fell for rope, and each other. In this second part of the interview, they open up about: ◦ How the pair keep their inspiration alive in rope ◦ A great rope dinner party question ◦ Transitioning rope from a passion to a profession ◦ The ups and downs of making a living with rope ◦ Whether being paid for doing rope is s3x work or not ◦ Exploding myths about ‘the perfect rope bottom’ ◦ How Lief sets boundaries with rope clients ◦ Handling mental health challenges in rope ◦ Allowing their rope practice to shift and change Lief Bound and Icarus currently reside in Los Angeles, California. Lief Bound is a rope switch who found their love of rope nine years ago and believes that rope can be the most honest way that we can connect with each other. Icarus is a switchy pain enthusiast who started their rope bottoming exploration nine years ago and is most passionate about exploring i

Lief Bound and Icarus are queer and trans rope educators and performance artists currently residing in Los Angeles, California. Having enjoyed attending a number of their online classes, and their inclusive but practical style, fox and Mya were excited to explore a wide ranging set of topics with them. In this first episode with them, hear us discuss: ◦ Where Icky fell in love with rope - despite the fact there was no rope ◦ How the pair met each other and fell in rope-love ◦ Their passion for teaching and being educators and how they work together ◦ The delightful chaotic switchiness of their relationship and who does what when how ◦ How they create trauma-informed classrooms (and what that means) ◦ The types of rope they do together, along with other play ◦ Breaking down with exposure and then building your partner back up in rope ◦ Inspiration in rope Lief Bound is a rope switch who found their love of rope nine years ago and believes that rope can be the most honest way that we can conne

To music or not to music? Music can be a hot debate in rope bondage - when to use it, what to use - whether to use it at all! Mya and fox love music and often include in in their scenes. In this conversation, they talk about: * Where and when music can be used * When you might not want to use music * At what points during a scene you might change your soundtrack up * How different tops and bottoms might use music * The benefits or effects of music that we can draw on for scenes * Some of the challenges or downsides of using music * Music and ableism * Should you include music in your negotiations? * Pros and cons of lyrically themed playlists * Popular examples that *could* work * Fox and Mya’s seal of approval for the official soundtrack of rope bondage ;)

Renee is a Canadian photographer and digital artist, whose kink journey started in the late 90's. Shibari photography for her became a visual expression of shapes in defiance of gravity, a delicate display of sadomasochism. Working with talented riggers, bottoms and self tying artists, she aims to create strong, clean kink images that respect the community and the artists. Mya and fox are big fans of her striking and distinct imagery, and in this episode, you can hear them discuss a wide range of fascinating topics, including: ◦ Her start as a rope bottom and the motorbike accident that changed her relationship with pain ◦ How she became a photographer of rope and used her experiences to inform her photographs ◦ The kinds of images she loves to create ◦ How she decides what to shoot ◦ The ways she collaborates and the teams she has for photoshoots ◦ Safety measures she uses to mitigate the risk of her shots ◦ What she looks for in rope photos she falls in love with ◦ How she got into composites an

In this episode, Fox and Mya discuss how you might use rope bondage with water, something they like a lot! Listen to them chat through the joys and challenges including: * All the safety, all the time: This is edge play within edge play! * Many of the risks and how you might mitigate them to some degree * The importance and support of how one (or more) spotters can support * Different types of water from baths to waterfalls and their unique challenges * Some of the gear you can involve * Three of their favourite scenes that have involved water

Tifareth is one of the Rope Podcast hosts’ favourite performers. In this episode, which continues the interview from part one (see Ep.122), we explore this topic with her, and discuss: ◦ How she developed her graceful rope handling style ◦ The drills she does and her attention to detail ◦ How she crafts her (amazing) rope performances ◦ How she works with her rope model during performances ◦ How she memorises her performances ◦ The critical role music plays in her performance and why ◦ Her new rope-photography space (Birdhouse, Toronto, Canada) and how it came to be Tifereth's introduction to rope bondage came in 2011 in the form of a surprisingly enjoyable futomomo tsuri. Since then she's drawn on her dual background in high-performance athletics and figurative arts to push herself physically and aesthetically on both ends of the rope. Known for her dynamic style of sadism, performative rope and creative approach to harness construction, she loves conveying her passion through engaging hands-on me

Tifereth's introduction to rope bondage came in 2011 in the form of a surprisingly enjoyable futomomo tsuri. Since then she's drawn on her dual background in high-performance athletics and figurative arts to push herself physically and aesthetically on both ends of the rope. Known for her dynamic style of sadism, performative rope and creative approach to harness construction, she loves conveying her passion through engaging hands-on methods of instruction. A veteran educator and performer with credits including Prague Shibari Festival, Bondage Expo Dallas, Eurix, Helsinki Shibari, Shibaricon, as well as weekend workshops and performances all over the globe, she is most often found wherever the weird stuff is. In this intimate episode, she discusses: ◦ Being banned from entering the USA, and how that changed her rope career ◦ Opening a venue and event space ◦ Her bottoming history and the injuries she was left with ◦ The challenges of being an early female rigger and how she had dealt with that ◦ How th

The Damsel in Distress trope and fetish is something that can often be seen in rope bondage, particularly Western rope. The trope itself in mainstream media ignited many a kinky person’s desires. Fox and Mya discuss the trope, along with: * The gendered aspect of the term, what this might mean and alternatives * The history of the trope * Examples in the media and how these are already being subverted more recently * What kind of ties might be involved * The feel of this kind of scene * Role plays you might want to try * The importance of team in this kind of rope

Marceline VQ is an internationally recognized shibari artist whose work challenges viewers with aesthetic and technically complex rope work. She engages rope from all perspectives—as a model in her own rope, with other models in her rope, and as a model in others’ rope—allowing for a deeper understanding of the medium as a creative and connective tool. She adores the sensory experience of being in rope, as well as the idea of becoming “human sculpture.” Her work engages in conversation with themes from quantitative disciplines including geometry and physics and with themes from qualitative disciplines including analytic philosophy and universal empathy. She has studied with shibari communities across the globe, and is classically trained in visual fine arts. Marceline is based in New York City, USA, and with her co-creator/model Anya Demure, works to create rope imagery that is surprising and inventive. In this articulate and authentic episode, discover: ◦ Her journey through rope bottoming, self-tying and

In this episode, Fox and Mya discuss rope and ties that center on the butt. This topic is a particular favourite of Fox’s and he’s very enthusiastic. No, like really. Really really… Listen to the episode to hear a lively discussion about: * The kind of ties you might use for this rope, such as butt baskets and spreader ties * Special considerations in terms of negotiations and consent around this type of rope * Top and bottom thoughts on this kind of tie * The types of play and scenes where this type of tie might be fun * When you might not want to use these ties * Some examples of the host’s favourite scenes to use them in (spoiler alert: Fox’s favourite = every scene) Fox is also ON FIRE with his jokes in this one y’all - like he’s been saving all his jokes on this topic for this episode…. Click the links below to listen now :)