Heartland Kinbaku
Building values based rope community
About Us
Heartland Kinbaku is a values based community and rope studio based in Logan Square in Chicago dedicated to offering traditionally inspired Japanese rope bondage education in a supportive, professional environment.
Building positive, healthy community is our highest priority: see our values here, our guidelines for community citizenship here, and our code of conduct here.
We offer a core curriculum class, intermediate/advanced classes, weekend intensives, local and fly-in private lessons, open studio memberships, and private lesson + open studio memberships..
You can find more information about us here.
Our Educational Model
HK's public programming is based on a progressive foundational curriculum and ongoing intermediate and advanced classes. Our Module 1 courses are accessible to anyone interested in dipping their toes in rope to spice up their intimate life or try out a new out form. Beyond that, our offerings are designed for students who want to pursue their rope journey seriously, with in depth professional instruction and mentorship.
We ask all students to begin with Module 1 regardless of prior experience level - this is to ensure that as we move on to more advanced material, everyone is on the same page regarding the the techniques, aesthetic choices, values, culture, and approach to safety.
While attendees are free to move on from participation after Module 1, our intention is to bring cohorts through the cycle of our core programs over 6 months, and integrate them into a longer term community for continuing education, social/play events, and as a student base to bring our Japanese and European instructors to Chicago for local workshops and private lessons.
Upcoming Classes
Module 1: Foundations (4 weeks)
The curriculum will cover basic physical safety; emotional safety, communication, power dynamics, and negotiation; cultural and historical context; body manipulation and physical connection, scene building, and a range of Japanese inspired rope techniques and patterns that will empower participants to confidently top and bottom a diversity of floor based (non suspension) rope scenes.
Dates:
February 2024 Thursdays 7-10 PM
2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22
March 2024 (Thursdays 7-10 PM)
2/29, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21
May 2024 (Saturdays 4-7 PM)
4/27, 5/4, 5/11, 5/18
June 2024 (Saturdays 4-7 PM)
5/25, 6/1, 6/8, 6/15
Module 2: Partial Suspension (12 weeks)
The curriculum will cover more advanced anatomy and safety knowledge, foundational suspension ties adapted for partial suspension, more advanced tension and placement awareness, how to safely tie and evaluate suspension lines, and how to combine knowledge acquired thus far to create a diversity of partial suspension based scenes, and a variety of bottoming skills to prepare bottoms for the physical and emotional experiences of intense rope scenes.
Dates:
- Apr - June 2024 (Thurs)
- Jul - Sep 2024 (Sat)
- Oct - Dec 2024 (Thurs)
- Jan - Mar 2025 (Sat)
*Only open to students who have completed Module 1, or equivalent private lessons.
Module 3: Basic Suspension (4 weeks)
The curriculum will cover a range of introductory suspension techniques, presenting themes and elements in exercises designed to give students an understanding of how suspension works, and how you can organically evolve and build suspension-based scenes adapted to each partner you play with. The final class will introduce techniques to begin transitioning in the air.
Dates:
- April 2024 (Thurs)
- July 2024 (Sat)
- Oct 2024 (Thurs)
- Jan 2025 (Sat)
*Only open to students who have completed modules 1 and 2, or equivalent private lessons.
Intermediate/Advanced Classes (Ongoing, weekly)
Ongoing, open-ended continuing education for all members of our community who have completed our foundational curriculum. We'll cover more advanced suspension work, ties and techniques beyond the scope of the core modules, present our interpretation of other styles beyond what was covered in the core modules, and use alternative class formats.
Dates: Every Wednesday, 7-10 PM
*only open to students who have completed modules 1-3