The Classes
smOdyssey has a GREAT line-up of incredible presenters and intense classes. Below is a list of confirmed classes, though there still may be changes as we go. Check back here often to get a sneak peak on what you can expect to see at the weekend.
Master K
At this year's Folsom Fringe event Master "K" will make a rare public appearance and present two classes limited to 40 attendees each:
The Beauty of Kinbaku - the Complete History of Japanese Erotic Bondage.
Drawing from the groundbreaking researches and translations done for his new book, "The Beauty of Kinbaku" (Secret Press - 2008), Master "K" willpresent a lecture in words and pictures which will, for the first time in North America, tell the complete story of the evolution of Japanese tying arts from ancient times to today's modern, erotic and beautiful kinbaku.
Beauty and Safety - Practical Considerations In the Art of Kinbaku.
Taking off from his first class, Master "K" will demonstrate historical styles of Japanese tying and show how modern Kinbaku evolved from them. Emphasis will be placed on safety and aesthetic considerations.
Sophia Sky
Anatomy 101 for BDSM
Why should you have a deeper understanding of human body beyond "the
knee bone is connected to the leg bone"?
So you don't break your toys! Whether that is someone else, or your own body, this class will help you gain a basic understanding of human anatomy, and some physiological processes, in order in increase safety and enhance enjoyment of BDSM activities. Learn how to exploit the body's weaknesses to further a scene, strategies to distinguish good pain from bad pain, and increase play options. (Translation: Tops, I am going to teach you easy ways to be meaner. Bottoms, I am going to help you recognize potentially problematic circumstances so you can keep from getting broken.) Wear loose clothing.
Performance Bottoming:
Using Performance Techniques to Enhance Public or Exhibitionism Play
You know you've got, so flaunt it and take your play out from behind closed doors! Being a capable bdsm bottom rarely comes naturally, and playing in public is often challenging. A good bottom knows their limits, strengths and weaknesses and how to communicate and use them to further a scene. No matter what your body type or experience level, you can learn the tricks and techniques used by a professional performer that can make any scene meaningful, as well as flashy. You'll also learn how to push yourself, or let yourself be pushed by your top, stretches and conditioning exercises, and discuss the distinctions between performing for an audience and playing in public. Please wear loose clothing and bring a towel or mat to lie on. This class is intended primarily for bottoms and switches.
Julian Wolf
Role Playing from the Skin Up
Finally a role playing class where transformations happen in front of your eyes- without the benefit of a dressing room!
Of course you take your roles in life seriously. Many of us both work and play hard. Some of us identify as Masters, Ma'ams, slaves, boys, girls and many other things in between, and sometimes things not even close to those titles. Join Julian Wolf as we explore the roles that we play to find the fantasy in them- as well as delving into our imaginations for new, exciting roles to play. The nine basic forms of role playing will be covered, as well as how to put together a fantasy role playing scene that will work for you and your playmates, starting from the skin up. Costume changes, ideas, tips and tricks will be presented in this fun and informative workshop by someone who's been enjoying role playing and creating fantasies for as long as they can remember.
Carrie and luna
Intro to Pony Play
Is your inner pony longing to be let out of the stall? If you love the idea of a leather harness against your skin, being led around as a proud pony, then you might be wanting to try pony play. Or perhaps you have loved to watch those ponies being led around Folsom Street Fair and would love a proud, prize-winning pony of your own. This year, we are lucky to have with us a prize winning pony and trainer: Carrie and Luna, along with Mystic Storm (the ponie) will be giving a brief overview of pony play. The class will cover the different roles of the participants, the different types of ponies, options for tack, and how to discover your inner pony, a well as basic steps and things to help you get started.
Boymeat
The Taboos of Incest Role Play
Incest is one of the last standing taboos in the world of sexuality today. Just mentioning the word creates a myriad of responses... from fear, apprehension, and disgust to guilty grins, slight arousal, and downright lust. And once you move beyond the literal term, and enter the world of fantasy role play, all things become possible. Daddy, boy, Mommy, girl, brother, sister… like Master and slave, top and bottom, but with an edge. This class will cover the whats, hows, and whys of playing with familial roles, both in sexual/scene contexts, and as a way of defining relationships themselves. Please note - this class is for consenting adults only, and does not involve or endorse actual acts of incest. Sensitive, sometimes volatile topics will be discussed.
WhipMaster Bob and Bootpig
Face Play – Where Vice Meets Vanity
Face Play enters an intriguing taboo area, engaging SM techniques above the collarbone. The edge of having an area of the body that is normally highly protected left vulnerable, of wondering if anything will show the next day and wondering what people would think, what you would think, is a remarkable adrenalin rush. Face Play definitely enters the realm of the R.A.C.K. experience as primary concerns are reducing risk as much as possible while enjoying the intensity of variety AND risk in this area. Come learn, and experience the dynamics of playing above the collarbone including: slapping, punching, piercing, waxing, flogging, caning, whipping, pressure points, and more. Discussion and demo with practice time encouraged!
This is a play style that lends itself well to a limited budget -- and a limited space as an intense Face Play scene can be created almost instantly with small tools and imaginative techniques.
Arcane
Florentine Flogging
'Florentine Flogging', or 'Double Flogging' as it is more commonly called, is the art of using two floggers at the same time, one in either hand. In this course we will learn two different patterns of varying complexity. The idea is to take home a new skill, so this will be a hands on class. If possible please bring either two fairly well matched floggers, or a limited amount of "trainer floggers" will be available for use. You have to come to class to see what the heck a "trainer flogger" could possibly be. If you have any questions contact arcane at arcane@arcanesattic.com.
crrreature
Blood Play 101
From the drop at the tip of a scalpel to the gush from venipuncture, blood
play can be an intense and intimate form of BDSM. Mr Rio Grande
Leather, crrreature, will cover much of we consider the basics of blood play,
from safety precautions, and maintaining a sterile field all the way to
the cutting, needles, medical stapes and sutures. This 101 class will give the
curious what they need to play as safely as they can, and will be an excellent refresher for those who haven't played in a while.
tomo
Rough Play
Let's get rough. This class will cover takedowns taken from martial arts techniques and modified to create safe yet rough play. Takedowns, choking, subdue and restraint techniques, and pain will be used to physically take control over the willing or unwilling bottom. Big Top, small body? Come and learn how size does not matter. Everyone will have the opportunity to practice the takedowns presented in a safe and hot environment.
Lady Hilary and The Marine
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rules
We as kinky leather folks often view our selves as anarchists and rebels but when it comes to protocols- there is ONLY ONE way… or is there? Customs, regulations, social norms, and personal protocols, our community is rich with rules. Come explore the many and varied protocols we use for intimates, friends, leather family and leather elders. Open up to the idea you can create rules and structure that uniquely supports you and your relationships. Lady Hilary and Her Marine will share their personal explorations through a D/s relationship and discuss how you use and create protocols.
Panel led by Lady Hilary and The Marine
Queering Our Labels
Claiming our identity we are genderqueer, pups, ponies, female princes, butch girls, femme daddies, bois, boys and so MUCH more. A motley panel discussion of folks open to sharing their stories and answering questions about gender and self-identification. This class is for those who want to discuss their own queer journey, and for those of us who want to communicate more compassionately, more efficiently, or just want to quit sticking their foot in their mouth!
Master Rick
BDSM and the Police: It’s All Fun and Games Until the Cops Show Up
Contact with law enforcement at BDSM related events is rare, but the potential problems that can come from a negative police contact can be unpleasant, at best. So, how do you deal with an unexpected law enforcement contact in a BDSM setting? The presenter, a veteran police officer with a major metropolitan department, has worked as a patrol officer, a trainer, a detective, a patrol supervisor, and has completed his career as a field commander. He is a presenter with the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom in their Education Outreach Program.
In this class, we will offer strategies that event organizers and individuals can employ to lessen exposure to police action for themselves and their guests. We will talk about: how consent does, and does not protect play partners, domestic partner issues, and discuss some higher profile past cases. Most importantly, we will look at the real world aspect and offer some practical information on what should you do when they're knocking at the door. This class covers NCSF tracks on Protecting Yourself Legally, How to Protect Your Event, & The Alleged Domestic Violence Call
Mark Yu
Giving Good Head
When you have secured a friend and need a nice area of their body to touch, tease or torment, which part will it be? No. the other end! This class will teach you how to manipulate and stimulate the head, hair, neck and face. From the most basic and primal of all BDSM activities, hair pulling, to the emotionally charged face slap, to the delicate erogenous zones of the neck and face, this class will show how to get different effects by manipulating areas of the head, neck and face. It will also cover safety and anatomy of the neck and cervical vertebrae and other concerns. This includes some energetic theory from Oriental sources. Whether you want intense confrontation and attention or a dreamy trance state, "Giving Good Head" will give you a powerful tool for almost any play scene.
Basic Sex Energy Manipulation: How to Eroticize your Bondage, SM and/or Power Play
This hands-on class will cover the fundamentals of energetic anatomy and the nature of Qi and how it operates in your partner's sexual response and beyond. This is an important class for those interested in eroticizing their play and for those who wish to learn various techniques to manipulate their partner's sexual energy in ANY BDSM context. By understanding the correct use of breath, specific positions, how to activate energy pathways and manipulate the points along them, the top can achieve high levels of control over their bottom's body and sexual energy that can make any play session deeply satisfying. This is a hands-on class, so wear loose or little clothing and bring a partner if possible for practice.
Bio-Mechanics for BDSM Players
This class will cover basic evaluation techniques and bottom assessment skills including upper body bio-mechanics and how they are affected by static bondage and BDSM play positions. Common body issues and injury prevention will be emphasized. These skills are a MUST for anyone who plays/works with many different people and Bottoms who want to understand and protect their body. These techniques will give you the tools you need to make you a safer and more confident BDSM and bondage practitioner. This class is designed for basic bondage and play positions.
slave kimmie
Uncommon Beauty
What is uncommon beauty? It can be witnessed more than seen, it can be felt more than touched. Uncommon beauty comes from the inside and works its way out. It is born from that feeling a slave gets when serving and submitting.
In this class we will take a look at 1) how to recognize our uncommon beauty 2) the different tools we have available to bring our uncommon beauty to the surface and 3) what are the best uses for this wonderful gift we have been given. Come join us as we travel a few steps further down our personal path. Through laughter and perhaps a few tears we begin to see an undeniable uncommon beauty that is in us all.
Sir Colin and slave kimmie
Dining - More Than Just Eating
Take a lighthearted romp back in time with Sir Colin and his girl, slave kimmie. We will look at a time when protocols were high and eating was just an afterthought for the meal. If you’ve ever wondered about the best way to correct poor table manners the “Victorian” way, you will not want to miss this class. This and many other Victorian dinning etiquette topics will be discussed.
Daddy Darin, Whipmaster Bob and Bootpig
Singletails From Three Sides
Singletails from Three Sides is a class that will demonstrate and offer hands-on practice and instruction in the art of erotic whip throwing. People of all levels of experience will enjoy and benefit from the experience of three seasoned experts from both ends of the whip. This class will teach basic whip throwing technique for those new to the whip, as well as subtle nuances for those well seasoned. It will also offer insight to the bottoms. Local favorite, Daddy Darin, will be joined by the renown Whipmaster Bob and Bootpig. Darin and Bob will demonstrate different flavors of whip throwing and Bootpig will provide break out training in aspects of receiving the whip and increasing the potential of your scene. If you have a whip, feel free to bring it, if you don't there will be a limited number of loaner whips. This class has a hands-on component for those who want to get cracking.
Salty
Make It and Take It in Salty's Workshop
Hands on is always good, right? We are a hands-on group of people. Hands on girly parts, hands on boy parts... and we love those pink bits. This class is a hands on class to make a new toy to play with those pink bits. For only bits of money, you can make your own press, a penis press or a breast press. Show the one you care for how much you would like to squeeze them by making this evil device and walk away with a new toy to play with in the dungeon. Salty will show have the materials ready to go and you will fabricate your own press in during the class.
A Panel Discussion with slave aranea, Master M, slave kelly, Master Keith and slave lise
It Ain't Easy, But We Do It: Making It Work 24/7
Are you considering committing to a Master/slave relationship? Does your current relationship need refining or redefining? Are you ready to explore the myths and realities about M/s relationships and their dynamics?
Join slave aranea as she moderates a discussion with Master M, slave kelly, Master Keith and slave lise, who understand the joys and difficulties of living in a 24/7 Master/slave relationship, as they trade stories of challenges encountered, share tips for getting through the tough times and exchange ideas on how to enhance and nurture your relationship.
This is an open question and answer session where you will be able to ask the panel all about living in a 24/7 M/s relationship .They will share tips, practical advice and their combined wisdom with anyone who is interested in learning about the intricacies of a 24/7 relationship.
Gabrielle Antolovich
Cruising: Cruising for Play/Cruising for Love
How do you flag what you want when you do or don’t fit into any stereotype?
Not every masculine heterosexual man is looking for a feminine woman – so how does he capture her interest? How does a butch dyke attract another butch? What’s a woman to do when she wants a feminine man to dominate her and a masculine woman to ravish her? How does an effeminate Top find a cute bottom? And so the list goes on… This is a hands-on, fun workshop where you get to practice attitude, what to wear, non-verbal communication, and get clearer on what you want and how to project it. Bring your true self and we will support you in finding your true love/lust.
Lolita Wolf
How To Play With Needles
When thinking of needles, most people remember of going to the doctor and getting shots. Ick! The last thing that they want to do is play with needles. But once one gets over that fear, playing with needles can be a lot of fun. Play piercing can give you a big endorphin rush. Endorphins are those sensations that your body makes to give you a natural high. Long distance runners experience a runner’s high that is very similar. Needles can leave you a different sort of breathless
Lew Rubens
Beginning Bondage
Targeted to beginners or those wanting to emulate Lew Rubens distinctive style from the ground up.
Come join the fun with Lew as he teaches many of the basics of the joy of rope bondage. From what types of rope to use, to why tie someone up, to safety concerns and rope handling techniques and much much more. Be sure to bring your ropes to this energetic "hands on" workshop and be ready to tie or be tied...or both! Bring a partner/victim if you have one, if not we`ll try to pair you up with someone. Bring rope if you have it, if not it will be provided.
The Classics
Learn why the classic ARE the classics. From the most basic spread-eagle positions to the Hogtie, the Frog tie, the Balltie and many more. Step up your skills in the intermediate "hands-on" rope bondage class. Bring rope if you have it. If not rope will be provided.
Mollena "Mo" Williams
Race: The final Frontier
Even the most hardcore pervert will back away from the topic of race play. The idea of playing into stereotypes, slurs, scenes that recall grotesque horrors from some of the darkest moments of human history is, in many folk’s opinions, best left buried un-addressed. But…
For those who are drawn to explore deeper and deeper crevasses of our psyche, the desire to explore even that taboo a play style can be compelling. From the man of Jewish decent who wishes to experience domination at the hands of a partner in SS Regalia, to the African American woman who secretly harbors a fantasy of being forced to submit to “the white man” to a Japanese-American who ponders a recreation scene of an WWII internment camp, these desires are not to be closeted in shame, but explored and discussed. Even if you are not desirous of acting, real time, on these fantasies, taking charge of them and letting go of the guilt can be an amazing release. And, if you DO decide to act on these fantasies, you’ll get some tips on how to approach this very edgy play, what to do if things do not fall out as planned, and the pros and cons of doing these scenes in public venues. Expect the unexpected, and prepare to surprise yourself.
Jack Elfrink, "The Hungry Tiger"
Damsel In Distress
A visually appealing bondage style but usually too complicated for practical use. This class teaches ties, props, and positions that are simple enough for anybody to use. There is information both for riggers and for models on how to make a scene look harsh and dangerous without it actually being so. And all simple enough that you can do it on your own in the privacy of your own bedroom.
More classes added daily, so check back often!