Workshops

BDSM 101: Back to Basics (Mostly)

Tillie, an irreverent switch and workshop junkie from Vancouver, and Usha, a leathergirl and community organizer from Edmonton, team up in Victoria to give you a guided tour to the ins and outs of doing terrible things with wonderful people.

This delightfully deviant duo will cover the basics of negotiation & consent, meeting people for play and community, and the ins and outs of public play parties.

Between the two of them, there's almost two decades of experience in various scenes, a love of community, and a wicked senses of fun. Mix all that up and you've got a recipe for a great workshop for newcomers and old-timers alike!

Call Me A Slut, Dammit!

"Verbal humiliation is my favorite kind of play, hands down, top or bottom it always gets me wet. Using just your voice to get a very visceral reaction from your submissive is a very powerful feeling."

In this class, Andie Luv will cover all of the topics below and will end with a short demonstration of a verbal humiliation scene. (This workshop has lots of class interaction)

• Humiliation versus degradation versus shame
• Short introduction including my experience on the top and bottom side with verbal humiliation, why I love it and need it in my kink life 
• Why do people crave verbal humiliation?
• Why is it ok that we crave it?
• How to negotiate a verbal scene
• Why verbal humiliation is NOT a good type of play for casual play partners
• How to avoid triggers
• Why verbal can be hard for some Dom/mes
• How to help your Dom/me overcome that reluctance
• What types of scenes or role-plays are good for verbal
• Examples discussed are: small cock humiliation, slut/whore scenes, forcing a sub to talk dirty and taboo fantasies
• How tone of voice can change everything
• Class will help compile a list of good words/phrases to use in a verbal scene
• How to use verbal discretely to keep a sub on their toes
• What to do if a verbal scene goes wrong
• Aftercare for verbal humiliation scenes - not necessarily wanted right after the scene - why?

Get To The Point

Jim Anderson explains how many cultures have used pressure points for healing the body as well as preventing illness.

Manipulating these same points can bring you hours of SM fun. Using pressure points is one of the easiest, safest, and most versatile forms of play out there. Pressing on different areas of the body can bring everything from extreme pain to extreme pleasure.

This is a hands-on workshop (pun positively intended), and one of Sagacity's most popular offerings. Everyone will get the opportunity to try as many different points as times allows.

Prick This!

In this workshop, Louise van Duuren will show you the basic techniques, and the health and safety requirements to successfully enjoy the edgy fun of play piercing.

How do you set up for a piercing scene? How do you prepare the skin and surrounding are that is going to be pierced? What are safe practices and safe places to pierce? This workshop will also covers clean-up and disposal tips after your scenes.

This is NOT a hands-on workshop, but if you want to try a little prick afterward, Louise will be available for supervision or will let you experience being pierced.

If you have any questions or topics you would like discussed about piercing before the workshop, please contact Louise at louise@elwoodsbodymod.com

Whip Like A Pro In The Dungeon

Jonn Ireland, Whip Master of Seattle, presents a hands-on workshop that is designed for those who have some familiarity with using a single tail and want to use a variety of techniques, develop in-depth scene approaches, and discover more expertise with a whip. Please bring your whips, and Jonn will have a few whips from his personal collection for you to borrow.

You will learn and practice various techniques. You will also learn several different ways to throw a Snake and Signal Whip that will become the basis of your scenes. You will learn: (1) to use a Bullwhip or Snake whip for wraps and hard strikes to add spice to your Scene; and (2) normal and unusual areas to strike the body. Different positions to use in a Scene when you do not have a rack or a cross, also techniques for limited space (like a bedroom), and understand what is different when using bondage and whips.

Whip techniques can vary from light wraps brushing skin with the whip tips, to using the whip tip for cracks off and then on the skin, each one producing different effects on the bottom and being used in different places as the scene progresses. The scene can vary in intensity from gentle stroking, to fiery rain and progress into painful, red welted stripes, depending on the intent and skill of the Top and the interests and limits of the bottom.

BDSM: The Limits of Consent

BDSM frequently masquerades as activity that would otherwise be illegal. For good reason, consent is the hallmark of erotic BDSM. Without it, what might otherwise be an exciting and sensual experience becomes a travesty, and a criminal offense. However consent is never as clear-cut as one might hope. In the eyes of the law, there are things to which one cannot consent, and sometimes these things are kinky.

Join Sir Henrik as he explores BDSM and the law, with a special focus on consent. The first part of the talk will focus on criminal law and BDSM, and on how far the courts will recognize consent. In the second part, participants will have the chance to play at being judge and jury (though not executioner...) and will read about actual criminal cases where BDSM activity led to charges. You can form your own ideas of how the courts ought to have resolved the matter, and then compare your conclusions with what happened in the actual case.

Power From Within

Power from within...how to claim, maintain, and manage your personal power as a bottom

It is sometimes said that bottoming is easy. Many of us who have been there, however, know that there are unique skills, challenges and lesson associated with this activity. Maintaining your physical, emotional and spiritual integrity while releasing control and power to another is a unique challenge.

Looking past limits and negotiations, Tillie King will help you explore the joys and risks of this path. This workshop includes different perspectives on why anyone would choose to bottom, how you can make the experience easier (or harder) on yourself, ways to deal with preparing for these experiences, and finally, how to re-surface with grace into the rest of your life.

Sounds Like Fun?

In medicine, sounds are instruments for probing and dilating passages within the body, the best-known examples of which are urethral sounds and uterine sounds.

Sir Scott presents sounds for men: an introduction into the various types of sounds and their application.

This is a class good for beginners and experienced players both and stresses safety and cleanliness. A demonstration of the technique will be included in the lecture.

How To Beat The Crap Out of Someone & Have Them Come Back For More

So you've learned how to punch and kick. In martial arts and other combative sports the purpose is to make your opponent believe that an injury is inevitable. In the dungeon we want to hurt, not harm our partner.

Take-downs, resisting, rape fantasies, wrestling, and good old-fashioned body-on-body beatings can all happen without the need for a toy bag. It is important to prepare yourself for each scene, mentally and physically.

Gird your loins (or your partner's) and get ready to learn as Jim Anderson shows you how to have a very powerful, bonding scene. From "preparation" to the very important "aftercare," you will learn how to keep them coming back for more...and more...and more...and...

Crossdressing: What's That About?

This workshop covers some basics and introduces some of the issues within crossdressing (possible problems, partner problems, accepting yourself, shopping issues, social issues/experiences, anecdotes of personal experiences, etc.). The audience will then be invited to an open discussion. Everyone is encouraged to share their own experiences/questions and reasons for their interest in crossdressing.  Attendees should bring topics they want to discuss or learn more about.

Donna DiaWana will be quite transparent about the experimental nature of this workshop and the audience will actually be helping to further workshop development...helping shape the direction this goes in.

Donna has been crossdressing for 22 years and is not only looking forward to sharing personal insights but also is very excited to hear what others have experienced or have to say.  Always keep learning!

Rough Rope: Sadistic Rope Skills

For some, rope is a tool for beauty and sensuality - the snug but soft caress of the rope, the beauty of the ties... And for others, rope is a great way to be deliciously mean.

In Rough Rope, Merit will review the history of rope torture. He will cover rope as weapon and restraint, demonstrate some speed rope that is quick and painful, and then he'll show you how to tie them all together to create a great scene.

Wear comfortable clothing and bring some rope (at least 2 lengths of 10'-15' rope and 3 lengths of 30' of rope; 6mm-8mm preferred) for hands-on practice.

Deconstructing Interrogation

Interrogation Play is hugely popular, but for it to work well the Interrogator needs to understand that interrogation play is not the same thing as interrogation. In real interrogation you do rude things to get information, and you go home when you get it. In Interrogation Play, an interrogation scenario gives you a fine excuse to do rude things.

In this workshop, Sir Henrik will show you techniques that the secret police of the world have used for all these years in their interrogation cells. More importantly you will learn how to make them work for you in play, because a real interrogation can often last days - even weeks and months. You probably don’t have that much free time, so techniques must be adapted to your reality. You will see an excerpt from an edgy film called "Closet Land" that illustrates these techniques in use.

(NOTE: Submissives who might be interrogated someday will be permitted entry, but only if they promise to immediately forget what they have learned.)

Spankalicious!

Jonn Ireland believes that a spanking can always be turned into much more than a "warm up" activity, and reactions to it can vary wildly from aversion to adoration.

Spanking can help foster a deeper level of connection, intimacy, and eroticism with your partner and constitute a scene in its own right. Psychological elements, negotiation, planning, techniques, and tools specific for spanking, along with a little practice, are just some of the ingredients that make up this workshop.

Be prepared to enjoy a little lecture, a little demonstration, and a little practice.

Is your bottom ready?
 

Female Genitorture: Will She Cum Or Not?

We don't have a workshop synopsis for this one yet, but we gotta believe that it's going to involve the diabolic, demented, deviant, debauchery of Quadrophobia.

We also suspect that the words, "...poor pussy" are going to be whispered (or screamed) as well...

Pain...The How of It

Pain – do you want to take more? Do you want to get more out of the pain you're already taking?

Join Usha as she delves into the psyche of the amazing contradiction that pain for pleasure.

By exploring dimensions of pain, this workshop gives practical ideas, tips and techniques for making the most of this important aspect of our lives.

This class is aimed at bottoms, although tops may attend for interests' sake.

Corporal Punishment

Bring your own toys and show what they can do!

Sir Scott offers up a versatile, audience-participation workshop on the many types (and many uses) of *your* favorite toys.

Don't miss out on this great workshop that offers up a comprehensive overview to some old and new ways to utilize your own favorite BDSM toys...a one-size-fits-all class on how to use your toys and get pointers on the "how, what, and why" of each one.

Bring your toys, bring your imaginations, and if you've gone one just hanging around, bring your bottom too!

Role Call: Who The Fuck Are You?

Finding your place in the scene goes far beyond simply top and bottom. Are you a brat or a good girl/boy? A silly sadist or a mean son-of-a-bitch?

Creating a memorable scene starts with knowing who you are and who you're playing with. In this interactive workshop, Merit will explore the many archetypes and roles a person can embrace, and discuss how finding that "uniquely you" role can take your scenes to a whole new level.

Male Genitorture: *Not* Puppetry of the Penis

We don't have a workshop synopsis for this one yet, but we gotta believe that it's going to involve the diabolic, demented, deviant, debauchery of Quadrophobia.

We also suspect that the words, "...poor penis" are going to be whispered (or screamed?) as well...

Edge of Madness: Fear & Terror Play

We all like to talk about playing on the edge and about fear and terror play, but what are they? When is terror play the same as edge play and when is it a different animal altogether? That play that is most difficult for the bottom, which brings up the most fear, or is the most dangerous and unsafe, can be both terror and edge play.

Yet, terror play can also be the most safe and controlled type of play that one can create. Playing with phobias, playing with the dangerous, creating the elusion of danger, tapping into the emotionally dangerous – all have at their center fear.

In this workshop, River Light explores how to negotiate terror play, while still keeping it as a surprise, some of the physical and psychological dangers of terror play, and specific ideas for scenes of terror, both physical and psychological. We will also go into what to do when things go wrong.

This workshop includes a lecture and demonstration. This workshop runs for two blocks. Admittance to  the second half of the class will not be permitted unless you have attended the first session.

Corsetry for BDSM

"I cannot count how many times I have been asked to tie up a corset, teach someone how to tie you up or answer questions about picking a good corset."

In this course, Andie Luv covers each of the following topics and ends the course with a demo on tying and give each participant a chance to try on a corset and take a turn tying one up. (She comes equipped with about 15 corsets in a variety of sizes).

Some of the topics of this workshop include:

• History of corsets
• How to measure yourself for a custom corset
• How to pick a good corset off the rack
• How to evaluate a corset to see if you are getting a good deal
• Boning and why the type really matters
• Underbust versus overbst versus cincher
• Wasit training
• Men's corsets
• How to rescue a cheap corset
• How to clean corsets
• How to repair a corset
• Various ways to wear a corset
• How to tie a corset (two methods with very different results)!