340 ft

Winnipeg Shibari Th. Co.—RRC (enter on William)

The show opens with an obviously affectionate couple entering their living room, sharing a drink and a cuddle.

Then the woman opens a cupboard and brings her partner the bundles of rope.

He ties her up with obvious affection checking regularly on her comfort and stroking her gently between knots.

This is the first introduction the audience is given to the art of Shibari, and this same couple continues through the entire performance—the woman left bound still during other set pieces and tied in increasingly complex and demanding poses until a stunning finale—but with the man always checking and double-checking her comfort and or consent.

The second set piece, involving a seemingly unwilling victim, is far less comfortable, although it has some aspects—the woman’s alleged offense and her pleas for Superman (an audience member) to come save her—that suggests it’s a fantasy role play scene.

There’s nothing actually shown that proves her consent. While it would be difficult to include in the scene, a preview or a follow-up scene would do much to remove the obvious discomfort of watching apparent non-consent.

The third scene, begun while the narrator explains the history of Shibari, is a gorgeous demonstration of suspension and nearly spiritual calm and probably the most attractive and acceptable to viewers uncomfortable with either the erotic consent or the possible unconsent.

Overall, a fascinating demonstration. My largest complaint is that all the submissives are female and all those doing the binding are male. This is not true in either the greater BDSM or Shibari communities and it would improve things greatly to include either a femaile dominant pair or a same sex pair of either gender, nor do I think this would be in any way problematic for any audience already willing to look at a demonstration of Shibari.

Leonara Rose Patrick