- workshop in english -

The secretary, the teacher, the doctor, the pet. Role play is one of the most commonly known BDSM practices, even in pop culture. We have such strong connotations of roles that appear in our everyday lives, relating to power, behavior, and responsibility. These roles can easily serve as archetypes for our desires, and can help us to explore parts of ourselves that may otherwise be difficult to reach without strong definition. Role play can often be found to be off-putting in practices, as many view themselves as “bad at acting”, too shy, or unable to improvise outside their comfort zone. Role play, however, does not necessarily have to be a practice that requires anybody to put on a show.

In this workshop, we will work with several methods for defining a role and exploring oneself within the boundaries of that role. We will play with both abstract roles as well as the cliche. We will work together to help define what it is that we want to achieve with our role play in the context of kink, and how we can design a role play that supports our desires. While techniques from theater and improvisation will be used during this workshop, it is important to know that we will not be acting. Rather, we will be working with the view that a role is a tool just like any other other we use in BDSM, and that we will simply try out together how we can use this tool for what provides fun and empowerment for us.

Who is this workshop for?
This workshop is for everyone. Please keep in mind that in this workshop we may discuss, unpack, and play around with difficult topics, directly and indirectly, that maybe be triggering in different ways. Saara Rei is not a trained psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, or healer. She is a trained an experienced facilitator and mediator, and can do her best to hold space for the group and individuals who choose to participate in this workshop. Nobody will be required to do anything in this workshop. Sitting and breathing is enough. And just being present is the most important part of participating in this workshop - helping to hold space for the group with your presence helps to maintain a feeling of security and togetherness, which is often exactly what is needed when confronting intense feelings.

Please keep in mind that this is an active workshop with exercises that are designed to help one feel feelings; nobody can make you feel these feelings, however. You will always be in control, so it is up to you as to where you want to go and what you want to experience in this workshop.

What to bring:
Please wear comfortable clothing you feel good in as well bring any costumes and outfits you might find interesting to play in. Please bring any sex toys, kitchen/household items, food, pet toys, mirrors, hats, objects, ideas, fantasies, and anything else you can think of.

Saara Rei

Saara is a workshop facilitator and performance artist with a background in music, dance, education, and public speaking. Saara's work generally centers around the exploration of suffering, both physical and emotional. Through their kink practice, Saara has come to understand that suffering comes from the comparison of what has been or could be to the present moment. And with that, Saara enjoys teaching about how to use suffering as a path to presence and enjoyment in life.   
 

Having a Ph.D. in mathematics, Saara’s academic experience adds an intellectual flair to complement their performative approach to bodywork. Playfulness and humor make up a big chunk of Saara's personality and approach to life, giving their workshops a very exploitative and light atmosphere, even while approaching some of the heaviest of topics :  bodywork, kink and more.

www.saararei.com
Instagram @saara.rei

More workshops with Saara Rei: April, 12 GROUP PLAY// May, 24 PAIN AND IMPACT PLAY // June 14 ROLE PLAY