We will have six intensives for three and a half hours duration. Please follow the rules of each intensive as they all are limited in number of attendees, level of experience, couples only, Master or slave only, pre-registration, etc.
Pre-registration required for all intensives. Please confirm conference registration is completed before signing up for intensives. Some may have limited participant availability, please register before they fill up.
(click titles to open for presenter bios and full class descriptions)
In this two-part class, participants attend a mandatory first class in which they discover the essential elements to building and delivering a successful workshop. In the second part of the series, participants are encouraged to “pitch” or present a 10-minute synopsis of their workshop before a panel of experienced judges. The winner chosen will be announced and offered an opportunity to present at the following year’s conference.
- Part 1: Shark Tank how-to workshop: Participants will learn traits and characteristics of successful presenters. They will also explore what elements that are included in a dynamic and successful workshop or class. Tips on public presentation and speaking are included. Lastly, participants will be encouraged to create and present a 10-minute overview of their workshop concept at the Shark Tank Mock Panel.
- Part 2: Shark tank mock panel: Those who participated in part one will be invited to present their 10-minute overview in front of an audience and a panel of judges. They will receive positive feedback immediately verbally from the judges and written critiques at the end of the workshop. A winner will be chosen from the participants, announced, and offered an opportunity to present at the following year’s conference.
Chanteuse La Belle and Trouvere Le Fou
Whether you are in a relationship or looking for one it your chance of happiness is higher if you have a decent idea of what you all want. In this workshop we will discuss different categories of things to consider and give you some time to work out initial impressions. This is a solid start for your Design Document and you should consider it just that: a start. You should expect it to change over time as you think more about it and work with your partner(s). This is to help you figure out what you want, not to tell you how someone else thinks you should do it aside from saying you should think about and know what you want.
Raven Kaldera and Joshua Tenpenny
In BDSM erotica, slaves either automatically do everything their master wants, or are tortured until they suddenly become perfect. In real life, the process of aligning the slave's will with the master's will is much more complicated. This intensive will give you tools for better co-creation of a dynamic where the slave can get to where the master wants them ... and the master understands that they, too, will be changed by the depths of this relationship. This intensive is designed for couples (or group M/s relationships), and we'll be doing work both together and in separate M and s groups. (It is not, however, an emergency fix for relationships which are in crisis or deteriorating.) Let's explore the easiest and most effective ways to come to harmonious alignment of will.
Master Jim and slave marsha
According to the philosopher Fredrich Nietzsche, "Out of chaos comes order" – but clearly, he was never in a Master/slave relationship! Certainly, the only constant we can count on in M/s relationships is that they will change over time. But this discussion won't be about "normal" change or the day-to-day difficulties of living in a M/s relationship. Not at all. Instead, we'll address the calamities, the life-changing events that knock you down hard and make you wonder, whether you are the Master or the slave, if you can ever get up again. In this intensive, Master Jim and slave marsha will openly and transparently share their most recent struggle with chaos and what they did to help their relationship survive it. They'll guide you through exercises to help you identify what you can do right now to prepare for chaos and what to do to protect your own relationship when chaos hits. You'll leave with a better understanding of how to develop the tools you need to find your own path through the hell of chaos and, most importantly, how to find strength, growth and celebration on the other side of it.
Master Skip and slave Rick
To the uninitiated, the primary dynamic of an M/s relationship appears to be simple and straightforward: one commands; the other obeys. For those engaging in such relationships, however, the underlying concepts of “control,” “authority,” “submission,” “obedience,” “surrender,” “responsibility,” “power,” and “freedom” are rife with paradox and anything but simple. If left unreconciled, these paradoxes can result in a breakdown of the M/s dynamic and the dissolution of the relationship. Drawing upon teachings from various wisdom traditions as well as insights gleaned both from their respective spiritual practices as well as their personal relationship, Master Skip and slave Rick will examine these paradoxes and offer new ways of understanding the elemental concepts of M/s so that its apparent contradictions need not be an impediment to the integrity of a functional and mutually beneficial Master/slave relationship.
Master D and slave Passion
PLEASE NOTE: This intensive is for couples/poly family in relationships of 10 years or greater. We will explore the joys and challenges of long-term M/s relationships through some guided questions and discussion. This is not for the faint of heart. Come prepared to dig deep.