Workshops at KinkFest 2013
Oregon Convention Center
777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97232
You must register for KinkFest to attend these workshops.
Please refer to KinkFest's web site for information about registration and fees.
Max will be teaching three workshops at KinkFest 2013, the Portland Leather Alliance's annual BDSM and kink conference.
Rope for Sex: Bondage + access to the parts you want
Saturday, March 30th, 2013 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Rope for sex isn't as simple as you might think. It's easy to make mistakes - resulting in a perfectly nice bondage scene and no ready way to make the sex part work. We'll help you avoid this frustrating experience.
This workshop will get us right into the "what is sex" debate, and we'll be using a pretty liberal definition. Rest assured that we're NOT limiting the workshop to boy-girl penis-vagina sex here. As with all of Max's workshops this workshop is appropriate for all genders and orientations.
Topics to be covered include general considerations, a few useful knots and a variety of interesting positions.
We'll have instruction. We'll have demos. And yes - we'll have plenty of hands-on practice. Sorry - the demos and practice won't include actual sex - you'll have to practice that later.
The class will include time to practice and enjoy what you've learned. And, as always, the handout distributed at the workshop will help you when you practice at home.
If you can, come with a practice partner. If you don't have a partner, come anyway and we'll make sure you get a chance to practice the basic techniques. Rope Bottoms - this is your chance to meet some rope tops - come learn and get tied up!.
When Things Go Wrong - What To Do and What To Learn
Co-taught with Russell
Sunday, March 31st, 2013 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Things can - and do - go wrong in a BDSM scene.
Sometimes it's a small thing. Sometimes it's more substantial. Either way, your level of preparedness makes all the difference between a little bump and a scene-ender - or worse.
Max and Russell have plenty of practice with things going wrong. In Russell's case, some of those experiences were captured on video from his time producing TwoBigMeanies.com.
Ideally, these events can be opportunities for learning and growth. We'll talk specifically about three key elements of your response:
- Dealing with the situation
- Learning for next time
- Retaining and rebuilding trust
Since prevention is even better than reaction, we'll also discuss how to make your scenes more resilient and less likely to go wrong.
This amazing workshop is chock full of anecdotes and "learning moments", and we'll show and discuss video footage of problems ranging from "you got my nose" to an unconscious and bleeding bottom.
We'll touch on a broad range of events related to equipment, technique, negotiation, planning, environmental problems, emotional responses, and injuries. While there will be some emphasis on bondage-related events, most of the discussion is applicable to any type of BDSM play, and non-bondage folks are encouraged to attend.
This workshop is structured as a lecture, so you don't need to bring a practice partner or rope. Do bring an inquiring mind and some good questions.
A handout is provided to help you remember what was covered and to provide additional references.
This workshop assumes no previous bondage experience, and is appropriate for all genders and orientations.
How to Push: Taking your scene to the next level
Sunday, March 31st, 2013 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
When is it OK to push your bottom? How do you push them safely, ethically, and effectively?
If you've got that mastered, try this: how do you push yourself?
Topics we'll be covering include:
- Getting someone outside their comfort zone
- Helping your bottom receive stimulus and process play
- Creating tension in your scenes
- Working with a bottom who asks you to push them harder
- Encouraging your bottom to try something they're unsure of
- Learning from someone's "never done it" history
- Gracefully managing the intensity of a scene
- Helping bottoms push through barriers
- Renegotiating during a scene
- Recognizing "hard limits" vs. "soft limits"
Because there's so much information to cover, the workshop time is dedicated to demos and a formal presentation. There's no need to bring a practice partner, although this material is as valuable to bottoms as it is to tops.
Handouts will be provided to jog your memory when you get home, and to supply additional references.
While some topping experience will be helpful, this workshop is appropriate for all skill levels, genders and orientations.