Intensive: Elevation: Rope Suspension 101 with Various Instructors
Accessibility accommodations are available upon request to accessibility@br.org. Please give us two weeks’ notice.
Please join us on Saturday, May 2nd from 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM for Black Rose Education Intensive Series: Elevation: Rope Suspension 101 with SuspendDisbelief, AutomataBound, and Nijntje!
Introducing the Black Rose Education Intensives Series
Black Rose Education Intensive Series is a new quarterly program built for deeper dives into kink. These extended sessions pair in-depth instruction with hands-on practice and lab time, creating space for intentional learning and skill development beyond a single evening class.
Schedule
1:00 pm: Doors open
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm: Suspension Curriculum Part 1: Technique Basics/ Bottom’s Discussion Group
3:00 – 3:30 pm: Break
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Suspension Curriculum Part 2: Technique Application
5:00 – 6:00 pm: Labbing
Intensive Class Descriptions
Due to the nature of this intensive, no late admissions will be accepted. Please show up on time to take advantage of the full curriculum.
This scaffolded 2-part curriculum introduces students to the basics of rope suspension! While there is no “one true way” to do rope, AutomataBound and SuspendDisbelief will teach some basic tried and true techniques as well as the safety trade-offs involved for your risk assessment needs. Whether you want to do intimate partials or work up to wild circus rope, whether you want to self-suspend or prefer partnered rope, you need to start somewhere, and this is that place.
We make it possible to accomplish this in one day by assuming you come already comfortable tying suspension-ready harnesses. **See prerequisites below.**
Presenter Bios
SuspendDisbelief (she/her) is a queer, non-monogamous submissive and emotional masochist. An exhibitionistic chaos goblin, she can often be found tying herself up and cofacilitates education at a rope skill share in the DC area. Using her professional experiences in education and her deeply slutty heart, she provides alternative framings for familiar concepts in edge play, especially for those who, like her, have been repeatedly betrayed by their neurodivergent peculiarities while learning.
AutomataBound (AKA Otto) is a queer, switchy bondage nerd who loves bringing ridiculous concepts to life. They have been in the D.C. scene for ~4 years and currently co-facilitate education at Hitchin’ Bitches.
Nijntje (“nine-cha”) they/them, is a local queer advocate and active member of the DMV kink community. At their day job, Nijntje runs an LGBTQ+ community center where they advocate for queer people, facilitate support groups, and provide community education through LGBTQ+ 101 classes. Nijntje’s educational background is in social work with a minor in the study of women and gender with a special focus on queer theory. After hours, they can be found at the local kink clubs, usually tying or being tied in dynamic rope scenes, being kicked around by their Daddy, and generally slutting it up. Nijntje has been serving on the QINK DC organizer board since January 2025, and is passionate about queer and kinky liberation.
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### Please note that this is an educational event, NOT a play party or a time/place to ask others for play, unless for labbing. Anyone trying to do a scene (this excludes labbing during class) or soliciting others for play will be asked to leave.
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Class Prerequisites – Please Read!
Suspension Curriculum Part 1: Technique Basics
We will be covering gear, basic hangers, and lock-offs as part 1 of our 2-part suspension curriculum! By the end of class, “tops” looking to tie will be able to suspend a bag.
What You Need / Prerequisites
Equipment Prerequisite
- Your own rope and a cutting tool (limited extras available).
- For uplines, we require synthetic rope without a “core” (as some climbing rope has) that is between 5mm and 6mm in diameter. We will have a few loaners we’ll ask you to use if we are not experienced with your choice.
- Ideally POSH rope (a spun polyester), but Nylon, MFP, or dyneema-reinforced jute could work too.
- Bring at least 2 ~30 ft uplines.
- For harnesses we are most comfortable supervising Jute, Hemp, POSH, MFP, or Nylon. If you plan to use another material, please check with us first.
- A bag/backpack to suspend or similar inanimate object.
- Suspension-specific gear–again, limited extras available, so please contact us if cost is a concern or you are not sure about your gear. If you are not sure what to get, don’t buy just for this class–we will make recommendations and you can borrow ours.
- Rated climbing straps (1–2)
- Rated locking pear or oval carabiners (2–6). There should be a number on the side in kilonewtons.
- Rated rigging plate or sturdy suspension ring
- Optional: something to draw on/write notes with. No phones during class.
Technical Skill Prerequisites
For all of these, it is not sufficient to be able to tie them while looking at a book and thinking hard about each specific step– we ask that you be so comfortable with each that they are somewhat embedded in your muscle memory and don’t take up a lot of your attention/brain space to tie. We also ask that you have tied these successfully on the specific partner you are attending with (which could be yourself).
- You must be comfortable tying a non-collapsing single-column tie that leaves a bight (one example is a Somerville bowline). You should also be able to connect rope.
- Harness Knowledge: Both upper and lower body harnesses should feel and appear structurally sound to the instructor:
- Tensioned and locked well enough to stay in place without excessive deformation under load
- Built with increased surface area to distribute load (e.g., doubled lines rather than loading a single wrap)
- Structurally sound in terms of frictions and knots
- Upper body harnesses might include but are certainly not limited to:
- Butterfly harness, Xana harness, Double diamond harness, well-constructed shinju, Tasuki harness, etc
- For this class, you may not use a box tie/“TK”. While we strongly prefer chest harnesses that are fully arms-out for this class, if you know this will be a big accessibility concern for you/your tying partner, we just ask that you contact the instructors ahead of time for arms-front/arms-side adaptations.
- Lower body harnesses might include, but are not limited to:
- Hip harnesses (with doubled/reinforced lines, e.g. drum harness)
- “Dragonback” harness
- Gunslingers
- We prefer that you not use a futomomo or mermaid tie that might create a balance issue, but contact us ahead of time if there is an accessibility concern that makes these necessary.
Completing Part 1 alone does not qualify you to suspend humans to our standards. Many vital suspension safety, equipment, and rigging considerations will be covered in Part 2. We spread it out over 2 classes so as not to overwhelm.
Suspension Curriculum Part 2: Technique Application
Students returning for Part 2 will apply the techniques from Part 1, bridging the gap between suspending objects vs actual humans in real harnesses.
For those who wish to try it, the class will end with a full suspension, either as self-tie or with another consenting human. To make sure your technique is at a level (qualitatively and quantitatively) that we are willing to supervise, we will ask you to “Test In” at the beginning of part 2. If we are not satisfied with the skills check, we will ask you to audit/simply observe the hands-on bits of Part 2. This doesn’t mean you are doing rope wrong. It just reflects our risk profiles as instructors.
2A. Testing In
Part 2 begins with a skills check based on the techniques taught in Part 1 and the harnesses you came prepared with per the prereqs.
*Students will demonstrate:*
1. Suspending a bag using the method taught in Part 1
We will check your hanger and lock-off on your bag.
(Other methods are not necessarily wrong, but we ask that students use our method for ease of supervision.)
2. Your harnesses, tied either on yourself or your partner
We will evaluate whether we feel comfortable supervising you, based on the structural considerations outlined earlier.
We may also ask the people in rope/“bottoms” a few questions to ensure they are ready.
2B. Hangers on harnesses
We’ll evaluate our harnesses for the best hanger type and placement and show several examples of useful placements.
2C. Baby’s first suspension!
One by one, heavily supervised, we’ll get you in the air.
Suspension Curriculum Part 3: Labbing and Q+A
Parts 1 and 2 will bleed into the normal BR free labbing time. We’ll probably make suggestions for improvements to your harnesses or hangers, and the rest of the time will be guided labbing. We can also use that time, depending on need, to teach extra harnesses that might fit people’s needs better.
Suspension Curriculum Part 3: Labbing and Q+A
Parts 1 and 2 will bleed into the normal BR free labbing time. We’ll probably make suggestions for improvements to your harnesses or hangers, and the rest of the time will be guided labbing. We can also use that time, depending on need, to teach extra harnesses that might fit people’s needs better.
Bottom’s Discussion Group
While tops learn about uplines and work on suspending inanimate objects, bottoms will discuss what to know when bottoming for suspension, how to prepare for rope suspension, and other important bottoming information, such as:
- Risks/risk management / creating bottoming risk profile
- Safety Considerations
- Negotiations
- Stretching
- When In Ropes:
- What does suspension feel like?
- Communication skills to practice for effective top/bottom communication during a rope scene
- Mind/Body Awareness
- Q&A
FAQs
Can I attend as a bottom without a partner and get suspended?
Nope! Sorry. If you don’t wish to tie, you may watch without participating. We would very much prefer that tying couples have an existing tying relationship or friendship. If you meet the tying prereqs, and you want to learn to self-suspend, you can absolutely do that.
If I am attending with a rope top, what prerequisites should I meet as a bottom?
We’ll discuss specific safety considerations when it comes to medical conditions, etc, but the most important thing is that you and your partner are comfortable exploring novel situations together and communicating in cases where those novel situations get stressful. You should strongly be on the same page consent-wise. You should have an understanding of how your body reacts under conditions of circulation loss and/or nerve compression. We will also ask you to consent to us touching you if a safety concern comes up (e.g. I need to stop your head from hitting the ground), so if that is not going to be okay with you, you may need to sit the class out. Come fed, hydrated, and well-rested, whatever that means to you.
I’ve already done a suspension or two. Can I still come? Is it worth it?
Yes– provided you are open to learning to do it our way. Learning in person from multiple sources can really help check your technique, aid with imposter syndrome, and keep you accountable to practicing.
This is not a play party. Do not attempt to engage in scenes or solicit others for play, except for labbing as part of a workshop-style class.
Tickets are $15 for Crucible Members and $20 for non-members.
All ticket sales are at the door.
Interested in teaching for Black Rose?
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