Classes
These are just some of the classes available to your community or event. Classes can also be tailored to your students' needs. Get in touch quartzlacon@gmail.com to discuss booking Quartz to teach a group class.
Nuances of Negotiation and consent
Good negotiation and consent skills are vital in all kink settings. This class covers a general overview of negotiation and consent, and examines the unique challenges of negotiating for rope scenes. It also looks at the nuances of negotiating for rope scenes, from both sides of the ropes.
Skills required: none
Equipment: none
Need to attend with a partner? No
Intention and Attention
All rope scenes have the potential to achieve a new state of being, one of
'rope-space', when time and space take on new qualities and meaning. Intention
and attention form an energetic thread which connects us to our partner.
This class will explore ways of creating, nurturing and sustaining this intention/attention thread throughout simple and more complex rope scenes. This class includes a mixture of discussion of theories and freestyle tying exercises.
Skills required: Single column tie
Equipment: 3 lengths of rope
Need to attend with a partner? Yes
Navigating challenging emotions in rope
When we play with rope bondage, we also play with strong emotions. Intended or not, the intensity of what we do can open us to emotional vulnerability which we may or may not predict.
This class hopes to open a conversation around difficult emotions, empowering us to be aware of, and navigate, challenging emotions that might come up during rope scenes. How can we choose what emotions to bring (or not bring) to a scene? How can we play with emotional intensity in a risk aware way? This class is for anyone who wants to foster an awareness of their experiences during rope scenes, and includes a mixture of practical exercises and facilitated conversation.
NB: The class has the potential to bring up difficult emotions, so please be aware of your potential triggers and your emotional boundaries.
This class is an adaptation of one originally developed by Quartz with Gaelleinrope.
Skills required: an open mind
Equipment: 1 length of rope
Need to attend with a partner? Yes
Sadomasochism in rope
Rope is a great vehicle for sadomasochism, and both the positions we tie people into, and the way we apply ropes can cause varying degrees of pain. In this class, both methods are explored as you are guided through the process of causing pain using the principle of mindful intention – causing pain with precision, in the exact time/place that you intend.
Pressure points and activation points are also introduced, both as methods for applying pain, and for body manipulation. Moving the body using pressure points allows you to move your partner freely, in whatever way you wish, without using strength. This is especially useful when tying someone bigger than yourself, but should be used irrespectively, in order to avoid injuries.
Skills required: physical ability to apply/receive pressure points, interest in pain play
Equipment: 1 length of rope
Need to attend with a partner? Yes
NB: This class requires moving around on the floor, so please wear clothes you are comfortable moving in
Shame, Objectification and Humiliation
Playing with intense headspaces, such as those brought up by shame, objectification and humiliation, can totally transform your rope relationship. The vulnerability inherent, both for bottoms and tops, in exploring these headspaces, can be beautiful and exciting, however, when playing in this way, we need an understanding of what we are doing and why, so that we can avoid psychological injury. Whether you're exploring shaming your partner for their desires, using them as furniture, exposing parts of their body, embarrassing them or making them feel degraded, rope can be used as a tool to help you achieve your goal.
In this class, we will explore a range of different exercises, designed to cause shameful, objectified or humiliated headspaces, and we'll talk about the nature of these headspaces and why they are so fun to play with. We'll also talk about ways to keep yourself and your partner safe, physically and emotionally, when playing in this way.
Skills required: single column tie
Equipment: 1 length of rope
Need to attend with a partner? Yes
Play, ritual, and rope
Dutch historian Johan Huizinga’s book “Homo Ludens” (1938) identified play as the central element in human culture. He writes that play is an interlude to daily life rooted in ritual; ‘not serious’ but conducted with absolute seriousness, which has no moral function and is governed by its own rules.
Israeli anthropologist Don Handelman (2013) writes about the relationship between play and ritual, and how they both allow participants to forget their social selves, perceiving each other as full human beings, thus liberating ourselves from the rules and stresses of daily life.
In rope, we can combine ritual and play to create what Quartz defines as ‘rope-space’, in which the childlike curiosity of play and the sacred actions of ritual are combined with Rogers’ (1961) unconditional positive regard, and Barkas’ (2017) Interview metaphor.
In this class, you’ll be guided through exercises that lead you towards ‘rope-space’, as well as discuss some of the pre and post rope scene rituals which prepare us for, and lead us away from, play.
Skills required: single column tie
Equipment: 1 length of rope
Need to attend with a partner? Yes
Tying people with hypermobility/EDS
This class explores the unique considerations which must be taken into account when tying with people who have hypermobility or EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome). People with these conditions experience a wide variety of symptoms and levels of disability, however there are some key differences which affect how rope should be applied to them and how their bodies should be moved/manipulated in rope.
Key adjustments will be discussed and demonstrated in several contexts, including: when tying the TK, when playing with tortions and extreme positions, and when playing on the floor.
Quartz has developed this class following years of tying with many different bottoms with hypermobility or EDS, and with advice from bottoms with EDS. This class will always be co-taught with a bottom who has EDS, who will teach bottoms how to manage their hypermobility/EDS in rope, including pain management.
Skills required: Single column tie, some experience with tying, bottoms should have hypermobility/EDS (no need for formal diagnosis), have good body awareness, and be confident in communicating issues in rope
Equipment: at least 1 length of rope
Need to attend with a partner? Yes
Partials as a complete scene
Partials are often thought of as transitions to suspension, however, many complete and satisfying rope scenes can be created using partial suspension
In this class, we will explore a variety of different exercises which use partials to build a complete rope scene. This will include instruction on partial uplines and freestyle partial tying techniques
Skills required: single column tie, some freestyle tying experience
Equipment: at least 3 lengths of rope, suspension ring or other suspension hardware
Need to attend with a partner? Yes
Quartz’s full-body lacing tie
This class covers Quartz’s full-body lacing tie, which is an arms-free harness which
can be adapted to a variety of arm positions and suspended from multiple angles.
Skills required: a good understanding of tension, prior suspension experience from bottoms and riggers, bottoms must have good communication skills and body awareness
Equipment: at least 5 lengths of rope, suspension ring or other suspension hardware
Need to attend with a partner? Yes
Building freestyle harnesses
The ability to build robust freestyle harnesses in rope not only enables more playful rope scenes, it also gives riggers a better understanding of how and why harnesses are constructed and how they will behave in the air. Freestyle harness building at its best centres the person in the ropes, both emotionally and physically, as harnesses are tailored to the bottom’s body and needs, and can be built during dynamic floor-play scenes which can fluidly and naturally transition to suspension.
In this class, participants will build a freestyle full body rope harness, and will be guided to an understanding of the reasoning behind construction choices. Participants will be given a chance to suspend this harness and be equipped with the skills to build freestyle full body harnesses on their own.
Skills required: prior suspension experience from bottoms and riggers, knowledge of at least one chest harness, bottoms must have good communication skills and body awareness
Equipment: at least 5 lengths of rope, suspension ring or other suspension hardware
Need to attend with a partner? Yes
Tying in 3D: Using multiple suspension points
When tying with multiple suspension points, whether within a frame, bamboo, or other set-up, there are a range of challenges and possibilities which are encountered. Playing with different angled uplines allows the body to be stretched and contorted in interesting and unique ways.
In this class, you will be guided through a suspension sequence which demonstrates some of the exciting opportunities which multiple suspension points present.
Skills required: Multiple suspension experiences from rigger and bottom, knowledge of at least one chest harness and a suspendable leg tie or futomomo, bottom must have good communication skills and body awareness
Equipment: at least 8 lengths of rope, suspension hardware, access to a multiple suspension point setup
Need to attend with a partner? Yes