Instructors

Avalon


Avalon, an Italian rigger, known for his sensual and attentive bondage. Avalon has been involved in BDSM for over 20 years internationally and has trained in the art of Japanese Rope Bondage . He’s active in the local, Sydney scene participating in events, and receiving tutelage from renowned range of international riggers such as Satomi, Midori, Osada Steve, Esinem, and Australian rigger Hebari.

Seduced by the sensual skill and artistic expression of Newaza Shibari (Yukimura style floorwork) Avalon has developed his own distinctive style. His floor-work is fluid and sensory, relying on triggers and sensitivities of his model to lull them into a forbidden world. His style keeps faith to traditional Japanese bondage where mind, edge and predicament play are key factors of the tying process.

Hebari


Rope has been a part of my sexual landscape since I was about 17, it started as an unformed kink I used with willing partners, something that used the skills I’d developed though sailing and cadets to add some spice to my sexual encounters. For me though I would never call myself a fetishist, in that I don’t have anything that I enjoy purely for it’s own sake. If anything I’d say my fetish is having an impact on my partner and I think rope is a perfect expression of that.

For me rope is a fluid medium of communication that allows me to be a lover or a sadist or an artist or a performer as the occasion presents itself. It’s a fluid medium of expression that has kept me interested far longer than virtually anything else in my life.

While I’d seen bits and pieces of Japanese rope work over the years it wasn’t until around 2005 that I first started to tie in that style though without instruction it was a poor copy at best. That said I enjoyed it and so did my partners so it wasn’t without it’s successes.

In 2010 I finally had the opportunity to learn from one of the greats of the Japanese rope world, Arisue Go who’s organic style is still very much a part of the aesthetic I enjoy. Soon I met Satomi Zpira in 2011, who is an exceptional instructor and taught me a great deal about flow and feel.

Shortly after that I met Hajime Kinoko and Osada Steve at which point I truly began to learn about Shibari in depth. From then on I travelled to London for the London festival and started spending time in Japan as often as I could finally meeting my sensei, Yumimura Haruki, in 2012. Yukimura’s style was quite at odds my my engineering head, his focus is on flow and feel with the engineering a subtle underlay, that while very important isn’t the focus and is hard to see. In 2014 I became an official student and teacher of Yukimura Ryu (style) and received my student name, Haruisamu which was and continues to be a great honour and gift from Yukimura sensei.

Recently I have begun study with Nawashi Kanna who continues the Akechi Denki tradition from which both Hajime Kinoko and Osada Steve derive much of their styles, so for me it has become a consolidation and broadening of that aspect of my rope education.

In 2012 I started the Naturally Twisted website to collect and share some of the information I have picked up through my passion for rope bondage. It is an ongoing attempt to create a good free resource for the bondage community world wide, hopefully it will continue to be a good resource for the foreseeable future.