Rope Salon - The First Tie

About

The First Tie is an evening for the rope-curious to arrive unpartnered, meet, and see what can happen when a rope is passed between strangers.

Come alone, come open, come ready to notice who the room places in front of you. You might leave with a new practice partner, a new friend, or the beginning of something you didn’t arrive expecting.

In the spring of 2024, at the European Rigger & Model Exchange in Berlin, Ena and Roxu tied together for the first time. It was a rope speed-dating event: strangers paired briefly, then rotated on. Except they didn’t quite rotate. Something passed between them in that first tie that neither of them had words for yet. A few minutes of rope became a conversation, became a collaboration, became a life shared in and out of ropes.

This evening is, in some sense, a return to that moment.

The Performance

Ena and Roxu open the night by taking the floor together for a live demo that reaches back toward that very first contact: the not-yet-knowing, the quiet listening, the slow discovery of another person’s weight and breath and edges through rope. A recreation of a first tie, performed now with all the knowledge of what it became.

It will be intimate to watch.

A Mixer

After the performance, the evening opens into a mixer.

Through a series of short, guided exchanges, you will be paired with other guests to explore what it actually feels like to give and receive rope with someone you have only just met. Each round is brief. Each pairing is different. The pace is unhurried, the pressure low.

What you are paying attention to is the space between two people when one picks up a rope and the other follows. You may be surprised by what you notice. You may be surprised by who you notice it with.

Ena and Roxu hold the room throughout, guiding each exchange with care and reading the energy of the space. Nothing is required of you except curiosity and a willingness to be present.

Timing

19:30 – Doors open, welcome drinks, arrival

20:00 – Doors close

20:15 – Welcoming introduction and setting of intentions

20:30 – Performance by Ena & Roxu

21:30 – Guided rope exchanges

22:30 – Open salon: conversation, connection, drinks and bites

00:30 – End of night

Snacks and drinks are served throughout the evening.

Level

Beginner friendly. No previous rope experience needed; Ena and Roxu will demonstrate a few simple opening ties to get you started. If you have tied before, you are equally welcome. The format rewards attentiveness over skill.

Who Is This For

Singles and individuals of all genders, sexualities, and bodies who want to explore rope without arriving with a partner, or who want to practice with people beyond their usual circle.

This sign-up is for women and FLINTA guests (all non-cis-male identities) only.

Partnered guests are welcome too, as long as you are arriving to mix and open to tying with, and being tied by, other guests through the course of the evening. This is not a couples event, and the format is designed for connection across the room rather than within a single pair.