As you might know, I have long suspected there could be connections between tying, tango and tantra. The common elements of communication and passion have always been obvious as an observer. To me, those elements seem more relevant to shibari than, say the practical skills of somebody used to working with rope, e.g. sailors, rescue workers, ex-Scouts etc.
Recently, I was approached by Frank (aka 650Bandit on Fetlife) who, as a shibari fan, teacher of Argentinian tango and also a practitioner of tantra, brings these three things together and we set up a weekend to explore these ideas. As you will see from our video discussion, ‘Tying, tango and tantra‘, my hunch was pretty much spot on, even though my knowledge of tango and tantra is extremely superficial. I am sure you will find it thought provoking.
In ‘Tying, tango and tantra’, you can follow our discussion, which concludes with some general questions from Frank about shibari. In the first video*,we explore the similarities and skills relating to tango that are transferable to shibari. Most obviously, both are about communication, creating and maintaining connection. This is also true of tantra which we discuss in the second section. In the final part, Frank raises some general queries about suspension ropes and aspects of communication. In all, there are approximately 50 minutes of video.
Shortly, we will be publishing the lesson which he gave to our students, Bliss and Otto, using his techniques from teaching Argentinian tango to build upon the all important foundations of creating connection. I guarantee that this will be a completely fresh look at how such skills can be developed.
* Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted the footage from the second camera in the first video. Hence, we only have one camera angle and the audio from the lower quality on-camera mic. The following two videos are how it should have looked.