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about.
performance artist · kinbaku practitioner · workshop facilitator · model · teacher
about saara rei
Working where the surreal, the provocative, and the emotionally raw meet, with rope as a form of embodied truth.
Saara Rei is a multidisciplinary performance artist, Kinbaku practitioner, and workshop facilitator with a professional background in music, dance, education, and public speaking. Performing since early childhood as a dancer and classical musician, Saara has always viewed the stage as a space for honest collaboration between performers and audience. Her artistic voice blends the surreal, the provocative, and the emotionally raw, often exploring the absurd and the dissonant to evoke deep reflection.
Since 2014, Saara has been immersed in Japanese-inspired rope bondage, both as a rigger as well as a highly experienced rope bottom. For her, rope is a form of embodied truth, an intimate exchange where vulnerability cannot hide. As an experienced rope bottom, she has collaborated with some of the most respected riggers in the international Kinbaku community, shaping her approach to both performance and teaching. She is a co-founder of Embodied in Rope, an in-depth educational project and curriculum designed specifically for rope bottoms. Alongside fellow co-founders Anna Noctuelle and Natasha Nawataneko, they also host the podcast Model Behaviour together, offering nuanced conversations about rope from the model's perspective, backed by over 40 years of combined experience in the scene.
With a strong grounding in power dynamics, sadomasochism, and emotional exploration, Saara's work embraces hierarchy, intensity, and the healing potential of intentional suffering. Her workshops invite participants to engage with pain, fear, shame, and vulnerability as pathways to presence and transformation. Through this lens, she teaches how chosen and understood suffering can be a profound teacher, guiding us into the immediacy of the present moment.
Holding a Ph.D. in mathematics, Saara blends academic rigor with embodied wisdom. Her teaching style is grounded, playful, and infused with humor, creating a space that is both light and deep, welcoming exploration, complexity, and growth. She considers herself a student of Felix Ruckert and the Schwelle7 community, and hopes to carry on the spirit of the space she was once part of, sharing the lessons she has learned during her time there.
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recent writing
from the blog
Essays on rope, intimacy, and the body, selected reading from the thoughts-in-prose archive.
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selected history
résumé
A decade across European stages, studios, and classrooms, with selected performances, modelling, teaching, and organizing.
performer
Yugen Studio
Yellow Dress with Kirigami
Milan, Italy, July 2026
KINBAKU LOUNGE
Black & Pink with Gestalta
Copenhagen, Denmark, April 2026
EURIX
Tension with Nicolas Yoroï
Berlin, Germany, April 2026
Birthday with Ropes_unleashed
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2025
Óxido Nitroso with Glüwür
Berlin, Germany, April 2025
Trio with Alex & Lilly
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2024
MSDA with Alexielle, Tori, Fi, May, Fynn, and Lodrik
Berlin, Germany, April 2023
Stage III with Discover Kinbaku
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2021
Stage I with Nicolas Yoroï
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2021
Shibari or Banana? with Pilar
Berlin, Germany, March 2017
Silence with Caritia
Berlin, Germany, Sept 2016
ClubX
Abramovic with Anna Noctuelle
Helsinki, Finland, Feb 2026
Frauen Festival
Ritual for the Decade with Ssapiehaa
Oldenburg, Germany, Jan 2026
IKSK
I Must Not Fear with Nicolas Yoroï
Berlin, Germany, June 2025
Performance Sundays with Swen Brandy
Berlin, Germany, Aug 2022
Le Petit SaDoMaSo: The IKSK Kinky Theatre
Berlin, Germany, June 2022
Performance Sundays with Sawa and Felix Ruckert
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2022
Performance Sundays with Alexander Ma
Berlin, Germany, Dec 2021
Performance Sundays with Jenny
Berlin, Germany, Dec 2021
Performance Sundays with Sawa and Felix Ruckert
Berlin, Germany, Dec 2021
Performance Sundays with Sawa
Berlin, Germany, Dec 2021
Performance Sundays with Nicolas Yoroï
Berlin, Germany, Sept 2021
Performance Sundays with Margout Darko
Berlin, Germany, Aug 2021
Performance Sundays
Berlin, Germany, July 2021
Performance Sundays with Micha Stella and Jenny
Berlin, Germany, June 2021
Performance Sundays with Felix Ruckert
Berlin, Germany, June 2021
InFLUX
Improv with Swen Brandy
Bucharest, Romania, Feb 2025
Daruma
We Find Ourselves in the Middle of the Night with Gestalta and Ali
Berlin, Germany, Feb 2025
KnotLounge
Improv with Swen Brandy
Lisbon, Portugal, Nov 2024
BDSM Film Festival
La Vampira del Raval with Rosie Renoir
Barcelona, Spain, May 2024
KITTNZ
Neon with Ropes Unleashed
Hamburg, Germany, June 2024
The Fool Berlin
Nine Years of Conflict with Pedro Cordas and Pixaya
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2024
The Code
Cat Girls with Velvetine
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2023
Flokiland
Improv with Swen Brandy
Valencia, Spain, July 2023
The Bodywork Bazaar
Shibari Demo with Swen Brandy
Berlin, Germany, May 2023
The Fool Berlin
Projections with Sawa and Anna Bellekrs
Berlin, Germany, March 2023
AthensShibari Winter Ball
Play Fight with WisDomme and Swen Brandy (Carnivore)
Athens, Greece, Jan 2023
femtasy Holiday Party
Wax & Rope with Sawa
Berlin, Germany, Dec 2022
SxTech Conference
The Party with Red Lilly
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2022
La Boca Erotica
The IKSK Kinky Theatre
Berlin, Germany, July 2022
Rope Spirit
XIII with Felix Ruckert
Prague, Czech Republic, June 2021
V with Lahtnor
Prague, Czech Republic, Jan 2017
Kinbaku LIVE! from Berlin
#3 with Alexander Ma and A Cryptic Mantra
Berlin, Germany, March 2021
#2 with Alexander Ma and Natasha Nawataneko
Berlin, Germany, March 2021
#1 with Alexander Ma and Natasha Nawataneko
Berlin, Germany, Feb 2021
Stockholm Kinbaku Studios
Decent with Nicolas Yoroï
Stockholm, Sweden, Nov 2020
Rope Artists International IV
The Fate Who Cut the Thread of Life with Andy Buru and Ambient Rage
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2019
Kummelholmen
Transverse Waves with Fittglitter and Indigo, conceptualized by Lilla Döden
Stockholm, Sweden, Oct 2019
The Filth Club
Roadside Trucker with Dekadamen
Stockholm, Sweden, Aug 2019
Natural High Healing Festival
Bird of Paradise with Andy Buru
Uusikaupunki, Finaland, July 2019
Poetry of Kinbaku with Andy Buru
Uusikaupunki, Finaland, July 2018
Ängsbacka Tantra Festival
Polaroid Love with Andy Buru
Molkom, Sweden, Aug 2018
wip:sthlm
RAWMOTIONS with Andy Buru
Stockholm, Sweden, Nov 2017
The Zen of Semenawa
The Beauty of Suffering with Andy Buru
Tallinn, Estonia, Nov 2017
Xplore Berlin
Monsters & Demons, conceptualized by Felix Ruckert
Berlin, Germany, July 2017
The Guru Supermarket, conceptualized by Felix Ruckert
Berlin, Germany, July 2016
KINGDOM, conceptualized by Felix Ruckert
Berlin, Germany, July 2015
Go Wild
Oyster Exposure with Butterfly Bondage
Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 2017
Prague Shibari Festival
Waking Up with Caritia
Prague, Czech Republic, Oct 2016
Shibari Camp
What can fit in Johanna’s vagina? A gameshow experience for the Shibaret with Fittglitter & Co.
Smögen, Sweden, Aug 2020
Presenter’s Performance
Smögen, Sweden, Aug 2016
model
Daruma Berlin Study-Group
Model for Gestalta
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2024 - Present
Suspension Workshop
Model for Gestalta
organized by Kinbaku Lounge
Copenhagen, Denmark, April 2026
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
organized by TT Kiel
Kiel, Germany, March 2026
Model for Gestalta
organized by Dojo Yorokobi
Stockholm, Sweden, March 2026
Model for Gestalta
organized by Tying with Friends
Basel, Switzerland, October 2025
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
organized by IKSK
Berlin, Germany, June 2025
Model for Scot Kinbaku
Copenhagen, Denmark, Nov 2023
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Brussels, Belgium, July 2022
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
organized by IKSK
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2022
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Brussels, Belgium, Nov 2021
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Brussels, Belgium, Sept 2021
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Brussels, Belgium, Nov 2020
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Stockholm, Sweden, Nov 2020
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Stockholm, Sweden, Nov 2019
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Stockholm, Sweden, Jan 2019
Model for Tamandua
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2017
Model for Tamandua
Berlin, Germany, June 2016
Model for Butterfly Bondage
Utrecht, Sweden, Dec 2016
Model for Kristina Marlen
Berlin, Germany, May 2016
Floorwork Workshop
Model for Kirigami
Milan, Italy, July 2026
Model for Gestalta
Berlin, Germany, April 2026
Model for Kirigami
Berlin, Germany, March 2025
Model for Asimira
Berlin, Germany, Dec 2024
Model for Sawa
Berlin, Germany, Dec 2022
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Brussels, Belgium, Sept 2022
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Berlin, Germany, Sept 2021
Model for Felix Ruckert
Berlin, Germany, May 2021
Model for Tamandua
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2016
Waterboarding Workshop
Model for Swen Brandy (Carnivore)
organized by Kinbaku Lounge
Copenhagen, Denmark, Sept 2025
Model for Swen Brandy (Carnivore)
Berlin, Germany, Dec 2024
Model for Swen Brandy (Carnivore)
organized by Kinbaku Lounge
Copenhagen, Denmark, Sept 2024
Model for Swen Brandy (Carnivore)
organized by BDSM Film Festival
Barcelona, Spain, May 2024
Hashira Workshop
Model for Discover Kinbaku
Berlin, Germany, June 2021
Semi-Suspension Workshop
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Brussels, Belgium, Sept 2021
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Brussels, Belgium, Sept 2020
Model for Nicolas Yoroï
Brussels, Belgium, June 2020
Model for Andy Buru
Ängsbacka, Sweden, Aug 2019
Model for Andy Buru
Malmö, Sweden, Oct 2018
Model for Andy Buru
Tallinn, Estonia, May 2017
Shibari Camp
Model for Kristina Marlen
Smögen, Sweden, Aug 2016
Xplore Berlin
Model for Kristina Marlen
Berlin, Germany, July 2016
Natural High Healing Festival
Model for Andy Buru
Uusikaupunki, Finland, July 2019
Model for Andy Buru
Uusikaupunki, Finland, July 2018
Stockholm Tantra Festival
Model for Andy Buru
Stockholm, Sweden, May 2019
Ängsbacka Festivals
Model for Andy Buru
Molkom, Sweden, Aug 2018
Model for Andy Buru
Molkom, Sweden, Aug 2017
Model for Andy Buru
Molkom, Sweden, Dec 2018
Model for Andy Buru
Molkom, Sweden, June 2018
Private Workshop
Model for Caritia
Berlin, Germany, Nov 2016
teacher
Power Play
organized by Daruma
Berlin, Germany, Aug 2026
EURIX
masterclass with Nicolas Arnoys
Berlin, Germany, April 2026
beginners course with Nicolas Arnoys
Berlin, Germany, April 2024
beginners course instructor
Berlin, Germany, April 2024
main program presenter
Berlin, Germany, April 2023
beginners course instructor
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2021
co-presenter with Andy Buru
Berlin, Germany, April 2019
co-presenter with Butterfly Bondage
Berlin, Germany, Oct 2018
Finding Your True Expression in Aibunawa and Semenawa
organized by Tying with Friends
co-taught with Anna Noctuelle
Basel, Switzerland, March 2026
Bottoming Exchange
organized by Hidden Layer/Unbound
co-taught with Marta Tenshiko
Tokyo, Japan, Feb 2026
Embodied Semenawa
organized by Shibari Ropeplay
co-taught with Anna Noctuelle
Helsinki, Finland, Jan 2026
Togetherness
organized by Frauen Fest
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2026
Pain & Impact Play
organized by Frauen Fest
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2026
organized by Frauen Fest
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2025
organized by Kinbaku Lounge
co-taught with Swen Brandy
Copenhagen, Denmark, Sept 2024
organized by IKSK
Berlin, Germany, May 2023
Movement, Sound, and Rope
organized by Frauen Fest
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2025
organized by MyShibariDK
Sønder, Denmark, August 2025
organized by Frauen Fest
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2025
organized by luhmen d’arc
Berlin, Germany, July 2022
organized by Reykjavik Ropes
Reykjavik, Iceland, Jan 2020
organized by CRS
Stockholm, Sweden, Nov 2019
organized by Nibbles from Rephuset
Gothenberg, Sweden, March 2019
Stockholm, Sweden, Dec 2018
Stockholm, Sweden, Oct 2018
organized by CRS
Stockholm, Sweden, Nov 2018
Humiliation & Shame Play
organized by Daruma
Berlin, Germany, December 2025
organized by Zwielicht Studio
Wuppertal, Germany, September 2025
organized by Anatomie Studio
London, England, March 2023
organized by IKSK
Berlin, Germany, Feb 2023
organized by AthensShibari
Athens, Greece, Jan 2023
organized by luhmen d’arc
Berlin, Germany, July 2022
organized by IKSK
Berlin, Germany, June 2022
organized by Spektrum Reykjavik
Reykjavik, Iceland, February 2022
organized by Karada House
Berlin, Germany, Feb 2020
organized by Reykjavik Ropes
Reykjavik, Iceland, Jan 2020
organized by CRS
Stockholm, Sweden, Dec 2018
Bottoming for Semenawa
organized by Daruma
Berlin, Germany, March 2025
organized by KnotLounge
Lisbon, Portugal, Nov 2025
organized by Dojo Yorokobi
Norrkoping, Sweden, Sept 2024
organized by Yoroï Dojo
co-taught with Natasha Nawataneko
Brussels, Belgium, Sept 2022
co-taught with Natasha Nawataneko
Berlin, Germany, Nov 2019
International Rope Bottoming Festival
hosted by Yugen Studio
Milan, Italy, Nov 2025
Improvisational Tying
organized by InFLUX
London, England, Feb 2025
organized by Anatomie Studio
London, England, March 2023
Nonverbal Communication
organized by Frauen Fest
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2025
organized by IKSK Sommerfest
Berlin, Germany, July 2021
organized by Reykjavik Ropes
Reykjavik, Iceland, Jan 2020
organized by Sexsibility Festival
Ängsbacka, Sweden, June 2019
organized by Club WISH
Wish, Stockholm, Sweden, Oct 2018
Stockholm, Sweden, November 2017
organized by Kiez Burn
Berlin, Germany, Aug 2017
Role Play
organized by Frauen Fest
Berlin, Germany, Jan 2025
Rope Bottoming
organized by MyShibariDK
Sønder, Denmark, August 2025
organized by Anatomie Studio
London, England, June 2024
organized by the BDSM Film Fest
Barcelona, Spain, May 2024
organized by AthensShibari
Athens, Greece, Jan 2023
organized by luhmen d’arc
Berlin, Germany, July 2022
organized by Espacio Nōs
Barcelona, Spain, Oct 2020
BDSM 101
organized by Kinbaku Lounge
co-taught with Swen Brandy
Copenhagen, Denmark, Sept 2024
Tying for Intensity
organized by IKSK
co-taught with Julia Moon
Berlin, Germany, August 2023
Flokiland
co-taught with Swen Brandy
Valencia, Spain, July 2023
Ropelink
co-taught with Swen Brandy
Rotterdam, Netherlands, July 2023
Group Play
organized by IKSK
Berlin, Germany, April 2023
organized by Xplore Berlin
Berlin, Germany, July 2022
Breaking Shame Culture
organized by Spektrum Reykjavik
Reykjavik, Iceland, February 2022
organized by Xplore Rome
Rome, Italy, September 2021
organized by Sexsibility Festival
Ängsbacka, Sweden, June 2019
organized by CRS
Stockholm, Sweden, June 2019
Lessons from Kink in Business
organized by IKSK
Berlin, Germany, Aug 2021
organized by IKSK Sommerfest
Berlin, Germany, July 2021
Basic Bondage
organized by IKSK
Berlin, Germany, July 2021
organized by CRS
Stockholm, Sweden, Jan 2019
Stockholm, Sweden, Sept 2018
Stockholm, Sweden, Aug 2018
Stockholm, Sweden, Aug 2018
Labo Corde Marseille
Marseille, France, Sept 2020
Shibari Camp
Smögen, Sweden, Aug 2020
co-taught with Butterfly Bondage
Smögen, Sweden, August 2016
Tying a Suspendible Strappado
organized by Kjellarn Studio
Stockholm, Sweden, July 2020
Inward Stimulation and Fisting
organized by CRS
Stockholm, Sweden, Dec 2019
Cake Sitting Ritual
organized by CRS
Stockholm, Sweden, Nov 2019
Body Play - A 5 Day Retreat
co-taught with Rebecca Jackson and Line Bangsbo Andersen
Alpujarras, Spain, Oct 2019
A Framework for Drooling
organized by CRS
Stockholm, Sweden, Sept 2019
Stable Structures for Suspension
Stockholm, Sweden, Feb 2019
Stockholm, Sweden, Jan 2019
Because I Love You
organized by Xplore Berlin
co-tuaght with Andy Buru
Berlin, Germany, July 2019
Power Play & Rope Bondage
co-taught with Butterfly Bondage
Utrecht, Netherlands, June 2019
co-taught with Butterfly Bondage
Utrecht, Netherlands, June 2017
Self Suspension
organized by Kinbaku Studios
Stockholm, Sweden, March 2019
Fire Play!
organized by CRS
Stockholm, Sweden, Oct 2018
Suspension Lines
Stockholm, Sweden, Oct 2018
Stockholm, Sweden, Oct 2018
Talking Bodies
organized by the Midsummer Festival
Ängsbacka, Sweden, June 2018
Tied in Mean Rope
co-taught with Andy Buru
Stockholm, Sweden, June 2018
Tying Mean Rope
co-taught with Andy Buru
Stockholm, Sweden, June 2018
The Play Party Retreat
co-taught with Andy Buru
Skoven Kalder, Sweden, April 2019
organized by Eluessents
co-tuaght with Andy Buru
Tallinn, Estonia, Dec 2018
co-taught with Andy Buru
Skoven Kalder, Sweden, Sept 2018
organized by Eluessents
co-taught with Andy Buru
Tallinn, Estonia, May 2018
co-taught with Andy Buru
Väddö, Sweden, April 2018
The Zen in Semenawa
organized by Kinbaku Studios
co-tuaght with Andy Buru
Stockholm, Sweden, Dec 2017
organized by Eluessents
co-taught with Andy Buru
Tallinn, Estonia, Nov 2017
organizer
International Rope Bottoming Festival
co-organizer with Marta Tenshiko
Milan, Italy, Nov 2025
Centrum för Radikal Sexualitet
workshop program organizer
Stockholm, Sweden, 2018-2020
Workshop with
Nicolas Yoroï
co-organized with Kinbaku Studios
Stockholm, Sweden, Nov 2020
co-organized with Kinbaku Studios
Stockholm, Sweden, Nov 2019
Stockholm, Sweden, Jan 2019
Workshop with Tamandua
co-organized with Kinbaku Studios
Stockholm, Sweden, March 2020
Stockholm, Sweden, Sept 2018
Body Play - A 5 Day Retreat
co-organized with Rebecca Jackson and Line Bangsbo Andersen
Alpujarras, Spain, Oct 2019
The Play Party Retreat
co-taught with Andy Buru
Väddö, Sweden, April 2018
Festherum
500+ person art festival
Fort Gorgast, Germany, June 2017
500+ person art festival
Fort Gorgast, Germany, June 2016
500+ person art festival
Fort Gorgast, Germany, June 2015
Burning Bär
500+ person art festival
Halle, Germany, Feb 2016
500+ person art festival
Halle, Germany, Feb 2015
500+ person art festival
Berlin, Germany, Feb 2014