The Riggers
9
FEATURED SHIBARI EXPERTS
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Arkady
Arkady (he/him) is a Shibari artist, rigger, and educator, and the founder of Kinbaku Miami, where he has built a thriving rope community grounded in education, consent, and connection. As a Dominant, Sadist, Rigger, and Leatherman, he has led the rope education track at Beyond Leather and taught at IRE , sharing his passion for technical rope work, psychological dynamics, and intentional play with particular focus on Shibari and semenawa alongside broader interests in intense sensation and power exchange. Outside the rope space, Arkady tends bonsai, hikes, works leather by hand, shoots photography, and is an avid horror film fan.
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Spike72
Biography: A BDSM player for 30+ years, Spike doesn’t play with one aspect of BDSM, he enjoys playing with all of them. A rope artist, a whip aficionado, a sub, and a pony; he enjoys being all of them. Spike’s wry sense of humor and timing ensures a lively conversation at any event. He resides in Madison, Wisconsin with his Mistress: Mistress__Mayhem. Spike has presented at Shibaricon, Beyond Leather, Ropecraft and Madtown Kinkfest,. When he’s not playing with rope, Spike enjoys cracking whips, being a DJ and spinning fire.
Gentleebrutal
Marc / Gentleebrutal was introduced to the world of kink in 2012, with rope serving as his entry point into the community. Since then, his passion for rope has continued to grow through the intimacy, connection, trust, and creativity it can create between people.
For Marc, rope is an ongoing journey of growth, discovery, and exchange. He has been fortunate to learn from mentors who have shared with him the beauty, structure, and emotional depth of Kinbaku, and he continues to approach rope as both a personal practice and a way to build meaningful connection.
Gentleebrutal has taught classes for CARE/SORE, private lessons, ARS, SADDE, and ARC in Austin, TX. He has also taught or shared rope at:
Ropecraft Austin — 2018
Ropecraft Chicago — 2019, 2022
Ropecraft Homebound — 2020
Tethered WiFi — 2021
Tethered Together — 2022
Brooklyn Library — 2022
Tiny Space in Denver — 2022
Oblige in Detroit — 2022
Austin Rope Collective — Austin, TX
He has also continued his rope education and community involvement through events including EURIX in October 2023, April 2024, and April 2026; Danish Shibari Festival in 2024; and Indy Rope Expo / Indiana Rope Expo (IRE) in 2024.
RopeDaddy & Auralee33
Rope Daddy is a person who believes that Shibari is more than just a physical act; it’s a way to explore deeper connections and push personal boundaries in a safe, consensual way. Whether he’s teaching a class, tying up a scene partner, or simply sharing his knowledge with others, Rope Daddy’s passion and expertise shine through. RopeDaddy does more than just rope. He also enjoys fire, electric play, impact and more.
With Rope Daddy, every experience is a blend of art and education, a journey that leaves you feeling both exhilarated and enlightened. Whether you’re there to learn, play, or simply appreciate the artistry, Rope Daddy’s world is one where the ties that bind are filled with meaning, creativity, and a touch of theatrical magic.
AuraLee started tying with RopeDaddy in 2018 and has been his partner in kink ever since. AuraLee’s focus at RopeDaddy Studios is in bottom based education targeting active bottoming, communication in play, and body aware.
With an extensive background in anatomy and physiology, she’s been the secret sauce behind the educational content at RopeDaddy Studios. But AuraLee isn’t just all brains—she’s got a fun, playful side too! She loves diving into sensual rope scenes, getting fired up with some fire play, and adding a spark of excitement with electrical play. She was also a key player in starting up IRE.
Sam Jay & Zero-Gi
Sam Jay (Sam, he/him) and Zero-Gi (Gigi, she/her) are best known for bringing rope bondage to great heights, from skyscrapers to high fashion. They have made a splash through their iconic NYC Street Shibari project and without-a-net high-altitude urbex suspensions, giving them a unique perspective on suspension safety and dynamic risk management. Across New York and worldwide, they are also known for bringing jaw-dropping stunts, rip-roaring energy, feats of endurance, and breakneck speed to the stage, everywhere from Torture Garden and Dances of Vice fetish balls to Burning Man, underground raves, art festivals, intimate salons, destination resorts, off-Broadway shows, and television. They've been teaching and performing together internationally since 2020, most recently EURIX and Prague Shibari Festival, with Danish Shibari Festival next. But the dirty secret is that it’s really all about the hot ties at home with an audience of one.
Before joining forces in 2018, Sam Jay picked up strong fundamentals from 2011 to 2017 in the Osada-ryu-based Melbourne Rope Dojo, where he was one of the first five students. In 2017, he decided to tie partners rather than to tie styles, and that has made all the difference. Zero-Gi caught the rope bug in 2017, and while she owes a great deal to rich education in a diversity of tying styles from tops, bottoms, switches, and self-suspenders worldwide, she has always rooted her core practice in dedicated solo study, challenging assumptions, interrogating standard forms, and eventually developing and crash testing new ties on her own body first. Together, Sam Jay and Zero-Gi have continually pushed the envelope on a global stage, from single toe suspensions and death-defying heights to popular new ties, techniques, signature transition sequences, inclusive adaptations, and dogma-ditching expansion of the standard rope repertoire. While Gigi and Sam share their motivations (“woo”), they don’t require you to adopt their fetish for adventure, and instead focus on highly technical rope education with an angle to accessibility.
Dreamgirl4girl
Dreamgirl4girl’s rope journey began in Philadelphia in the time before COVID and has been curated to include a fusion of traditional Japanese patterns and Western-inspired aerial movement. Professionally, she has been a post-secondary educator in the Allied Health field since 2001. She brings that same dedication to her rope instruction, emphasizing strong foundations, mindful technique, and a supportive environment that fosters student success.
When she is not practicing rope, learning about rope, or labbing rope, you can find her in her little cabin in the woods of the Endless Mountains of PA with the love of her life, Mr Dreamgirl4girl.
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Treaonna
Treaonna is a passionate and experienced educator with over 25 years of experience who provides lectures and workshops on a variety of topics, including kink skills (rope bondage, fireplay, cigar service/play, etc.), kimono and lolita fashion, communication tools, conflict transformation, hula hoop fitness/dance, moving meditation, energy work, and connective practices in the leather, kink, poly, geek, occult, flow arts, and other adventurous communities.She/Ae holds the 2017 and 2018 title for Miss Ohio Leather, is a member of the 2018 class for International Person of Leather, and is a member of the Titans of the Midwest. Her/aer kimono passion started with a love of lolita fashion (specifically wa-lolita), which led to other fusion (wafuku x yofuku) styles, finally transitioning to wearing kimono more traditionally. In May 2020, she/ae began an apprenticeship with a certified kimono instructor and stylist in Japan and lives the #kimonolife by wearing kimono in some way nearly every day. She/Ae owns a kimono sales and service business, Kimono Kitsune.Traeonna is a HoH ND queer-crip endorphin enthusiast who can be found hitting people with dinosaurs, amusing her/aer Bear with her/aer antics, and is fueled by dark chocolate, coffee, and Sir Winston snuggles. As a mononymous person, Traeonna can be found on Facebook, Instagram, or by typing .com after her name!
Tie Rope Take Photo & Valley Roses
Nick (he/him) has been topping rope since 2015 and teaching rope since 2018. He loves creative suspensions, intense floor ties, and nerding out about rope techniques. He teaches kink classes and private lessons on his own, and with Full Circle Kink. He can be found on Instagram @Tie_Rope_Take_Photo and Fetlife @Provocations.
Valerie (any/all) is a Seattle based kink educator, bottom, and all around glutton for suffering. They began their kink journey in 2017 as a switch, but has since found their deepest love is for rope bottoming. As an instructor, Val specializes in dance/movement based rope, improvisational play, and maintaining in-scene relationship dynamics. They are passionate about teaching rope in a way that is exciting, inclusive, and accessible. Val has taught internationally at West Coast Bound, as well as several US cons such as RopeCraft. They teach private lessons on rope bottoming and beginning rope classes with Full Circle Kink. They can be found on Instagram @valley_roses and Fetlife @ValleyRoses.
