Balkan Bound

In this workshop, we explore Shibari as a shared movement practice in which rigger and model dance, react, destabilise, support, and influence each other in real time. Rather than treating movement as something that happens after structural tying, we use movement itself as an integral tool for connection, tension, play, and expression at every stage of the session. We intentionally tie to move and be moved, exploring stability, balance, speed, distance, obstacles, body locks, pressure, and changing levels of control. Expect practical exploration, playful challenges, and room to discover what happens when you stop trying to keep your ropes still. Requirements: Riggers should safely and independently tie at least a single and double column tie. Experience with free flow rope play or a basic chest harness is recommended. Both partners should have good body awareness and a love for movement. Bring at least 3 ropes. What to bring: The studio will provide ropes and everything else you need for the workshop. Just wear comfortable clothing. If you don’t have a model to work with, feel free to message us on Telegram at KnotCoven or on Instagram at BalkanBoundfest — we’ll help you find a partner. Registration: @KnotCoven https://balkanbound.rs/

BALKAN BOUND Festival Schedule 12:00–12:30 | Festival Opening Welcome to Balkan Bound! Meet the organisers and participants as we officially open the festival. 12:30–13:30 | Get to Know Balkan Bound Meet our volunteers, take a tour of the exhibition, explore the studio and get to know the people behind the festival. A great opportunity to settle in, meet new people and experience the atmosphere of Balkan Bound. 13:30–14:30 | Freerider Mini-workshop for beginners. 14:30–15:30 | Anna / Saara Mini-lecture for models. 15:30–16:00 | Challenge Escape Game — Round 1. 16:00–16:30 | Challenge Escape Game — Round 2. 17:00–18:00 | Break 18:00–22:30 | Performances The evening programme featuring performances by our artists. ⸻ ROPE JAM 12:30–17:00 | Main Hall The main hall will be open throughout the afternoon for free practice, socialising and sharing experience. Our volunteers will be present in the hall throughout the Rope Jam. Feel free to approach them with questions, ask them to show you something, or even ask them to tie you up — that’s exactly what they’re here for! Meet people, have a chat, share your experience and try something new. No matter how experienced you are or how familiar you are with ropes, Rope Jam is all about connecting, learning from each other and enjoying the community. ⸻ GET YOUR TICKETS https://balkanbound.rs/ You can also purchase tickets in person at our studio in Belgrade — cash payments are welcome!

BALKAN BOUND Расписание фестиваля 12:00–12:30 | Открытие фестиваля Приветствие участников и официальное открытие Balkan Bound. 12:30–13:30 | Знакомство с Balkan Bound Знакомимся с волонтёрами, гуляем по выставке, исследуем пространство студии и встречаемся с людьми, которые создают этот фестиваль. Отличная возможность освоиться, познакомиться и почувствовать атмосферу Balkan Bound. 13:30–14:30 | Freerider Мини-воркшоп для начинающих. 14:30–15:30 | Anna / Saara Мини-лекция для моделей. 15:30–16:00 | Challenge Escape Игра — первый раунд. 16:00–16:30 | Challenge Escape Игра — второй раунд. 17:00–18:00 | Перерыв 18:00–23:00 | Перформансы Вечерняя программа фестиваля: выступления артистов и незабываемые моменты. ⸻ ROPE JAM 12:30–17:00 | Большой зал Большой зал всё это время открыт для свободной практики, общения и обмена опытом. На протяжении всего Rope Jam в зале будут находиться волонтёры. Не стесняйтесь обращаться к ним с вопросами, просить показать что-нибудь интересное или даже связать вас — они здесь именно для этого! Знакомьтесь, общайтесь, делитесь опытом, пробуйте новое и находите единомышленников. Неважно, сколько у вас опыта и насколько хорошо вы знакомы с верёвками, — Rope Jam создан для того, чтобы встречаться, учиться друг у друга и получать удовольствие от общения. Tickets on https://balkanbound.rs/ Or you can pay in cash in Belgrade in our studio

@Nikolay_FreeRider - feel free to DM him for a link to his channel if you’re interested 🤍 I am an engineer by trade. Engineer’s job involves creating new things and making them work. I bring the same approach to shibari, and I will lend this perspective to you. In this workshop, we will explore: 2 types of single and double-column ties 3 ways to form a wrap 6 ways to close up a wrap Fine motor skills for tension control Nodome and wadome as excellent tools to secure friction Practical examples to develop bondage thinking Requirements: Suitable for all rope handling levels. The final exercises will reach their full potential at the middle-to-upper proficiency level: confident mastery of basic ties, tension control, and suspension basics. What to bring: The studio will provide ropes and everything else you need for the workshop. Just wear comfortable clothing. If you don’t have a model to work with, feel free to message us on Telegram at KnotCoven or on Instagram at BalkanBoundfest — we’ll help you find a partner. Registration: DM or KnotCoven in telegram https://balkanbound.rs/

This workshop explores body manipulation in suspension: how to move, tilt, rotate, fold, extend, and reorient a suspended body once stable structures and safe suspension lines are already in place. We will work with gravity, axis, counter-tension, breath, touch, and timing to understand how suspension can become a responsive physical conversation rather than a static shape. For suspension-experienced pairs who want to deepen the technical, somatic, and emotional quality of their suspension work. Requirements: Riggers should safely and independently tie at least a single and double column tie. Experience with free flow rope play or a basic chest harness is recommended. Both riggers and models should have good body awareness and a love for movement. Bring at least 3 ropes. What to bring: The studio will provide ropes and everything else you need for the workshop. Just wear comfortable clothing. If you don’t have a model to work with, feel free to message us on Telegram at KnotCoven or on Instagram at BalkanBoundfest — we’ll help you find a partner. Registration: DM @KnotCoven https://balkanbound.rs/

Simple Ties to Confident Semi-Suspension 📅 Thursday, November 26 | 19:00–22:00 📍 Knot Coven Art Studio, Dorćol, Belgrade, Serbia 💶 €60 Arseniy Nazaruk We’ll start with simple, secure arm, leg, and hip harnesses — no complex preparation required. Step by step, we will build these elements into a solid semi-suspension, learning how to manage weight distribution and guide your partner’s body so that both rigger and rope bottom feel safe and comfortable. We’ll wrap up with a short, dynamic flow with smooth transitions between ties. Pure practice that you can replicate at home right away: calm, confident, and with no unnecessary fluff. What to bring: The studio will provide ropes and everything else you need for the workshop. Just wear comfortable clothing. If you don’t have a model to work with, feel free to message us on Telegram at KnotCoven or on Instagram at BalkanBoundfest — we’ll help you find a partner. Requirements: Shibari for everyone. ✨ Part of BalkanBound Fest Week. Registration: DM on @KnotCoven https://balkanbound.rs/#workshops

A rare chance to learn from strong shibari teachers from different countries — for the first time in Belgrade. At Balkan Bound you’ll have access to: • Arseniy Nazaruk • Teljes Szakall & TarraXinha • Saara Rei & Anna Lysee • Nick FreeRider To grow as a practitioner, it’s useful to study with different teachers, take the best of what they offer, and gradually form your own style. That opportunity is here now. The workshops before the main day (26–27 November) and after (29 November) cover technique, movement, body handling, attention and connection. Registration and prepayment guarantee your place in the group. Schedule and details: https://balkanbound.rs/workshops Sign up: @KnotCoven or https://BalkanBound.rs Catch them while they’re here.

Tickets Teljes Szakall and TarraXinha have been tying together since 2023, when they went to their first shibari camp, rolled up their sleeves and studied diligently in workshops given by Bo and Ewa of MyShibari, Wlada Wedmovskaya, Haag, Tifereth, Ludvig, Pedro Cordas and others. For Teljes Szakall, shibari is a way to build experiences together with partners, using rope as the medium and tool for examining what happens when the outside world disappears and trust and vulnerability remain. As a model, TarraXinha focuses on the possibilities of her body and the deep relaxation she gets from opening up to the rigger, with a special focus on connection, letting go and power exchange. She has recently started learning to tie herself, advancing now on both sides of the rope. At Balkan Bound they bring Opposites — a shibari storytelling performance using rope to express the driving forces of the Balkan region: passion, melancholy and loud celebration, intertwined parts of everyday life.

Ariana Ruža is an artist from New York who began studying shibari in 2018. Her work explores masculinity, power, and the visual language of dominance. She uses rope to create provocative encounters with men, motorcycles, chainsaws, and symbols of masculine identity. Ruža's work challenges traditional ideas of power by placing masculine imagery into unexpected contexts while drawing aesthetics from alternative and underground culture. Rebis is a shibari artist based in Belgrade and a student of Vlada Vedmovskaya. His work draws motifs from the alternative scene and explores the darker sides of human expression in his practice. They tie together as two Dominants, creating high-energy sadomasochistic scenes that express a combative side of eroticism.

Balkan Bound workshops are up. Before the festival — November 26 and 27. After — November 29. Main Bound day is November 28. Schedule, descriptions and prices: https://balkanbound.rs/workshops Nov 26 • Arseniy Nazaruk — Simple Ties to Confident Semi-Suspension, KnotCoven, 19:00–22:00 • Teljes Szakall & TarraXinha — Ropes in Motion, Kinkylab, 19:00–22:00 Nov 27 • Saara Rei & Anna Lysee — Body Manipulation in Suspension, KnotCoven, 19:00–22:00 • Nick FreeRider — Exploring Building Blocks of Shibari, Kinkylab, 19:00–22:00 Nov 29 • Anna Lysee & Saara Rei — Dancing the Line, Kinkylab, 12:00–15:00 • Nick FreeRider — Figurative Rope Binding, KnotCoven, 14:00–18:00 • Teljes Szakall & TarraXinha — Back to the Floor, Kinkylab, 15:30–18:30 Sign up: @KnotCoven

Arseniy Nazaruk is a shibari master from Saint Petersburg with 8 years of continuous rope experience. He runs sessions, training, and workshops, and creates shows and art projects that showcase the aesthetics of shibari. In his practice, Arseniy balances the tactile, aesthetic, emotional, and sensual sides of shibari. Rope isn't an end in itself for him — it's a tool for visual expression, practical application, and self-expression. His approach avoids rigid dogma: he treats shibari as a living dialogue, where technique supports improvisation and mutual exploration. In class, he helps you settle safely into practice — technique as a foundation for improvisation and shared discovery, with the partners' attention and comfort always coming first. Tickets on https://balkanbound.rs/ Or you can pay in cash in Belgrade in our studio, Questions: @KnotCoven

Welcome to Balkan Bound. November 28. KC Grad, Belgrade. A full day of ropes — and a night you don’t forget. Beginners and all levels welcome. Volunteers here for you all day. An escape challenge game. An exhibition anyone can join. Show night. 6 to 10 pm. International masters from all over the world. Questions - @KnotCoven Tickets on our website: BalkanBound.rs. See you there 🖤

Balkan Bound November 28 KC grad Anna Lysee & Saara Rei Berlin Tickets are limited: BalkanBound.rs

Wlada & Katya Balkan Bound 2025 Next in KC GRAD, Belgrade 📅 25–29 November 2026 Main day — 28 November Tickets → balkanbound.rs

A little over two months left until the festival — and we are starting to write in detail about the artists who will take the stage at Balkan Bound. 28 November · main stage Nikolai Freerider and august Nikolai Freerider is a participant of major Russian and international festivals and the founder of the Russian shibari community Shibaru. He has worked as a rope consultant on feature films, TV series, and music videos. He has been practicing shibari professionally since 2019. His performances often blend engineering and theatre, and in his actions he leans toward a traditional Japanese approach. He wouldn’t call himself a follower of any particular school — his focus is squarely on the functionality of the rope. His guiding principle: “If you can’t explain to yourself the purpose of a given element of a tie, don’t do it.” Telegram: NickFreerider Instagram: @nick.makrame Rope bottoming since 2023, august initially endorsed rope within the scope of domination/submission dynamics as a ritual of surrendering the self for the other and as means of transgression through extreme physical experience. All this while modelling has remained for her a part of the general service to the master. Over time, she has embraced multiple faces of rope and performs as a rope master since 2025. She regards traditional shibari as a distinct genre and admires its ceremonial nature which makes room for epiphany through repetition, precision, and accrued context. As a performer, she adopts a modernist approach to rope, using it as one of the means of transverbal expression accommodating eros, art, and cognition, which to her are indivisible. Telegram: august They will also hold two workshops — one before the festival and one after. The workshop schedule will be out soon. Tickets: BalkanBound.rs

Jaeger & Orsa Balkan Bound 2025 Next in KC GRAD, Belgrade 📅 25–29 November 2026 Main day — 28 November Tickets → balkanbound.rs

🪢 Balkan Bound III — Artists Lineup The international shibari festival in Belgrade is proud to present its lineup: 🖤 Vlada Vedmovskaya & Feuertänzer Belgrade / Switzerland Instagram · Instagram · Telegram 🖤 Anna Lysee & Saara Rei Berlin Instagram · Instagram 🖤 Teljes Szakall & TarraXinha Croatia Instagram · Instagram 🖤 Ariana Ruža & Rebis New York / Belgrade Instagram · Instagram 🖤 Arseniy Nazaruk & Milana St. Petersburg Instagram · Telegram 🖤 Nikolai Freerider & август Moscow Instagram 📍 KC GRAD, Belgrade 📅 25–29 November 2026 Main day — 28 November Tickets → balkanbound.rs More details about each artist coming soon. Who are you most excited to see? 👇 #BalkanBound #Shibari #Kinbaku #RopeFestival #Belgrade

Balkan Bound 2025. Autumn Romknots & NatNata