Montreal, QC – This weekend, my boy Derek Da Silva and I have been in Montreal for the annual Diversity celebrations. Our friend and current Mr International Rubber, Stéphane set up several opportunities for us to interact with the local fetish/Sm community and was our host for the weekend. We couldn't be more grateful; we had an absolute blast. Friday night we did a meet & greet and a rope bondage demonstration at the Black Eagle. Saturday afternoon, we taught an introductory Shibari rope bondage class at the Black Eagle and then made an appearance at Priape to promote the new Rough line of fetish/Sm features I'm co-directing with Paul Wilde for Titan Media. Then we performed at K.L.U.B, the big leather, latex, uniform and bear fetish party Saturday night.
The staff and patrons at the Black Eagle treated Derek and I exceptionally well throughout the weekend. Everyone was welcoming and engaging and the staff was phenomenal. It's definitely safe to report that Derek and I feel as though we've found a home bar in Montreal. Our bondage demo Friday night was very well received. I've been told that it is difficult to keep a crowd's attention with rope work in a bar, but that hasn't been my experience. I did a modified hog-tie on one volunteer, a tie-down over a bar stool on another and an elaborate arm-binder on Derek. Afterward, Derek placed one of the boys that were watching from the front row in a beautifully decorative upper-body harness and then I finished the demo with a Hojojutsu inspired speed binder. The throng of onlookers loved it and several commented that they had never seen such fast rope work. I was a thrill; sharing my passion for rope bondage in an environment like that gets my dick stiff.
There were well over thirty, possibly more than forty, people at the Shibari workshop Derek and I held Saturday afternoon. I was surprised we had so many in attendance given the fact the entire village was filled with activities and choices. We taught the single and double column ties with lever tie-downs and had the class to imagine how these simple, yet functional elements of Shibari could be used in a variety of practical applications... encouraging them to think outside the rope bag, if you will. To my satisfaction, every person in the class, even those who identified as "expert riggers", reported that they were coming away from the class having learned something new.
Later that afternoon, Derek and I appeared on the beck in front of Priape, next door to the Eagle in the village to promote the new Rough line and sign autographs for fans. We turned this into a rope demo as well. Priape had hired several models to help generate interest and promote the store during Diversity. I was immediately attracted to one of the boys in particular. Guillaume is a cute little muscle stud with a big, infectious smile and a sparkle in his eyes that seemed to invite temptation. I started flirting with him without delay. When I was informed that he was straight, I simply continued my efforts to seduce him into my rope. Although those efforts were not easy given the language difference, eventually I was told through an interpreter that he was curious to experience "the bondage." Explaining that rope "has no gender," I reassured him and agreed to tie him down. I did another modified hog-tie then Derek and I tickled poor, helpless Guillaume to hysterics. Afterword he said he really enjoyed it and I encouraged him to never let concepts like 'straight' or 'gay' keep him from exploring anything he wanted in life. I hope it wasn't lost in translation.
We ended our appearance at Priape with a bit of advanced, impromptu rigging with another sexy boy from Montreal. Pierre-Luc, a tight bodied dancer with the flexibility to prove it, asked if I'd be willing to tie him up and I couldn't resist. I'm becoming quite fond of with I can only describe as improvisational, guerrilla bondage. Like the rigging I did with Will 'the Pig' Parker at the Leather market at IML this year, it usually involves tying the submissive to an architectural element. In this case I ran some rigging to hang him from a tree and its wrought-iron, protective guard in front of the Priape shop. You can find pictures of the rope work from the appearance in the Diversity 2009 form Priape gallery I've posted.
The performance at K.L.U.B. went well, although I will admit that rigging in lighting designed for dancing can be almost as challenging as it is for a sub to keep track of their movements under dynamic suspension in the same environment. All-in-all, however, the performance was a success.
Today we're just enjoying Stéphane's company and the camaraderie of the village on this beautiful Sunday.
