Ballet Ropes

artPLAY CONTEMPORARY SHIBARI ART 

BALLET ROPES –  a tale of elegance and balance, a philosophical approach to Shibari!

Although Anna Noctuelle has been practising Shibari for over a decade, she states that she still feels like she has only just scratched the surface of its possibilities. She describes rope as being a tool forcing you to be in the present, to ignore the past and future and to solely focus on said moment in time. “When you give yourself to the present moment entirely, you are accepting, your mind becomes still and you become one with everything.” She continues to explain that rope is very much a spiritual moment, something that can teach you pleasure and pain, acceptance, humility, patience and joy. Rope can teach you life and even wisdom.

“Ballet Ropes” is about a mix of dance and Shibari so we wondered about the connection between the two. Anna agrees that at first it may seem paradoxical to say that “Shibari is a dance”, when dancing is usually associated with the freedom of movement, and Shibari being about the restriction of it. She explains that both acts are about “…creating a sculpture that is only visible for a moment. Both art forms have a very ephemeral quality that echoes the finite nature of life and the infinite nature of love. The act of tying unifies us in movement, the one who moves and the one who is being moved and if we extend that to being emotionally moved we could even say, we move each other and the souls begin to dance.”

Rope becoming more mainstream is a common topic of discussion within the scene, and people seem to have very different opinions on its negative or positive effect. Anna is a firm believer in this being a positive development for Shibari, stating that the variety in application of rope as well as people discovering rope outside of a BDSM context is important for its growth and evolution. She references the people who perhaps do not see this as a positive thing; “Some people fear the „bastardisation“ of Shibari…” saying that we have to let it move forward, and appreciate the variety in teaching, performances and different expositions of the art form in order for it to grow. Anna explains that  “It is our responsibility to try and give people as much context and insight into its philosophy and nature as we can, so the true essence will not be lost.”

Interview by Dani Wal 

Photography and Rigger Soptik model Anna Noctuelle

Soptik Zet:  www.soptikshibari.com/

Anna Noctuelle:  www.anna-noctuelle.com/    

Dani Wall:  www.instagram.com/daniwallphotography

Soptik and Anna first tied together at Eurix event (European Rigger & Model Exchange) about a year ago, and it was in fact him who asked Anna to bring her ballet shoes when she went to visit him. His style, approach and preferences when tying struck a chord with Anna, and since then they have tied and taught rope together. She states that she is incredibly thankful for all that Soptik has shared with her, as well as hid kindness, generosity and trust. She also states the importance of the relationship between model and rigger, saying that:

“The chemistry of the two people coming together to tie affects and determines everything.”

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