Alexander MA & Natasha NawaTaNeko
We are Alexander MA and Natasha NawaTaNeko. We tie together since we became a couple in 2011. Kinbaku and especially the art of semenawa in the style of Akira Naka has become an important and enriching part of our lives. We offer coachings or private classes in Berlin and workshops internationally. We are open for invitations to perform and to collaborate in art projects.
We are founders of the Kinbaku Society and publisher, editor in chief and producer of the Kinbaku Society of Berlin (KSB) magazine, issued twice a year.
Natasha NawaTaNeko is a Russian-born, Berlin-based rope bottom, performer, and educator with more than a decade of experience in Kinbaku. Known internationally for her embodied approach, she teaches Kinbaku as an intimate practice that combines erotic intensity with personal exploration.
In 2020, she published her book “Somatics for Rope Bottoms” exploring the body’s wisdom in ropes. More than a guide, it is an invitation for readers to turn inward, explore their own experience, and reclaim agency in the intimate choices that arise when stepping into kink. The book has since inspired practitioners worldwide and contributed to a new discourse around rope bottoming, embodiment, and consent.
Alexander Ma is a researcher, philosopher, and embodiment activist, been fascinated by Japanese history and culture for a long time.
Studying Japanese Martial Arts since his teenage years, he graduated as a black belt in Seishinkai Aikido, a practice that still informs much of his approach to presence, touch, connection, and power. He is also a scientist and member of an exclusive club of rope nerds that hold a PhD.
Alexander teaches traditional Japanese Rope Bondage, Kinbaku, in Berlin and across Europe, he does photo sessions, performs and is a founder and editor in chief of Kinbaku Society of Berlin Magazine.
Find out more about them at Instagram discoverkinbaku, nawataneko, alexander_ma__ and Fetlife NawaTaNeko and Alexander_MA.
Workshops
KINBAKU as Ritual
(Workshop level: L1-3)
on your chakras nor will we smoke Jute. The ritual in Kinbaku goes much deeper. Kinbaku touches our soul through the somatic body. Kinbaku if done and received with open heart can transform who we are.
This workshop is not about technique or style. It is about the “everything” else. How do we start a session? How do we (as a couple) come from our daily life into a different realm when tying together? How do we use the power of polarity to create erotic tension, current and flow? How do we create a strong container where we can freely express who we are? How to we use time and space? And how do we find an ending?
Don’t bring crystals and sage, bring rope. You will tie a lot!
How to unlock your creativity in ropes
(Workshop level: L2-3)
In this class, we offer an innovative approach on how to tie outside the rigid form – kata – we learn to practice the basics. We will share our method of not think the form from the end, not aim for an already known figure but creating an evolving tie, using the elements you already know and getting into the flow by progressively tying rope by rope, finding inspiration in your partner and the present moment.
The class will include inspirational impulses and demonstrations, but mainly it’s a hands-on workshop: you will tie and/or get tied a lot. Role switching is not mandatory, but highly encouraged.
Chest ropes with impact
(Workshop level: L2-3)
This workshop is about tying a chest! Or to be more precise: an open chest… a chest, opened by a Gote (other patterns also work well). We can tie this open chest gently or hard. We can give impact with the weight of the rope or with pointing frictions / knots on pressure points. We expose or hide. We press and form the flesh.
For the person tying, we invite you to think about your intention, your desire. We will show you principles and movements, to create an impact with tension and flow.
For the person tied, we invite you to travel inwards. What do you feel? How does the rope, the impact on your body translates into emotions?
Tying a chest creates a lot of vulnerability – on both side of the ropes! Join us to explore this beautiful feeling.
Kazari, Gomagashi or Seppuku: What the hell to do with the “rest-of-theropes”?
(Workshop level: L1-3)
What to do with the “rest-of-the-ropes” is an ever-ongoing question for riggers. The most common and the most banal solution is: just let it hang. Even though this might be the perfect solution for an intimate session, more often than not it is in the way. In photography it distracts the eye of the observer from the model and their expression. When we do suspensions, it might create rope jam, therefore potentially a safety problem. The worst is that riggers get frustrated and loose connection of their attempts to solve the puzzle.
Different schools developed solutions to this issue – from calling the loosely hanging ropes art or individual expression to making the hideaway art in itself.
In this workshop we will review approaches to tie-away the rest-of-rope fast and efficient – but aesthetically pleasing. We will introduce solutions to hide but also these that use it to emphasise a body part of the bottom and make them shine.
