Class, Workshop + Event Instructors
The Rope Collective provides a variety of healing arts and kink educational and interactive public and private events inside our studio.
Meet the instructors and view the events calendar to find an upcoming class, workshop, or event to join. Check out our studio practitioners to book a private healing, rope, or kink session.
submissivetiger / Toni
(she/her)
submissivetiger is a rope artist, educator, community event organizer and founder of The Rope Collective. She began her rope journey in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2014 as someone being tied by others. Years into being an active member of rope communities, she picked up rope to self tie and developed a specialty for self suspension performance. When she returned to San Diego in 2018 she began tying others and now specializes in both partnered and self suspension performance. She currently identifies as a sWitch who falls in love with rope deeper and in new ways everyday.
In addition to teaching classes with The Rope Collective, you may book with submissivetiger for private group classes, private 1:1 rope lessons, rope experiences (being tied or suspended) or events worldwide.
lola
(she/her)
Influenced by her mother’s semi-holistic lifestyle, Lola pursued a career in the holistic health field with massage therapy and reiki making their way into her life in pure synchronicity. Feeding her passion for learning and the human body, Lola completed her education in Massage Therapy in 2019, along with certifications for Reiki levels I & II.
Lola utilizes her Clair-abilities in union with knowledge of the body and how to care for it to provide a safe, comfortable and relaxing experience for the receiver. She aims to share her expertise and experiences in order to encourage others to continue down a path of self acceptance, self healing, and overall mastery of the mind.
Lola is co-creator and co-facilitator of our full moon Tea + Tarot event as well as offers self and partnered massage workshops.
Gisella thOrn
(she/they)
Gisella Thorn is a local rope performance artist and model. Her love for details and nuance is what drew her into the rope community. Her background as a performance musician, a seasoned certified massage therapist and self practicing green witch bring unique and connected elements to the table. You will often find her playing with sadistic/sweet implements and rewards with her rope partners. She is excited to be part of The Rope Collective and continue to help build safe spaces for all.
Mary8Jane
(she/they)
Mary Jane is a highly experienced switchy Lebanese princess who has an intense love for rope and all things BDSM. She is an advocate for safe, sane, and consensual kink. She is passionate about education in the kink space, performing and modeling. When she isn’t teaching you can find her gracing the stage in a kinky scene or go go dancing as a Sister of Mercy for Club Obsession. With an open heart and open mind she hopes to connect with others and safely guide them to towards accomplishing their deepest desires.
Gr3nd3l
(he/him)
Grendel has been part of the San Diego rope community for over a decade. As a rope top, a performer, and an educator, he works to provide opportunities for everyone to experience this unique and sensual art form.
Athena fay
(she/her)
Athena Fay is a San Diego native who developed her passion for dance at an early age. She attended performing arts schools from the age of 9 through her senior year of high school. Looking to continue to fulfill her passion for dancing, Athena took her first pole and twerk class at a dance studio in 2015 and was instantly hooked. A year later, Athena was invited to be a dance instructor at that same studio. Since then, Athena has taught pole, exotic, and twerk lessons around San Diego and is passionate about helping others meet their personal dance and fitness goals, as well as helping individuals with dance audition training and preparation. With a desire to further expand her knowledge on fitness and training, Athena studied and graduated from Mesa College’s Personal Training Program in 2020.
Ginger Whiskey
(she/her)
Ginger N. Whiskey has been performing for over 13 years, teaching for over 7 and is 1/2 the production team Whiskey & Fuego. She revels in the intensity and intimacy of a slow burn. Whether in the strip club or, in class, or on the theater stage, Ginger pours every bit of herself into her dancing and revels in making deep human connections through movement.
Mac aka VeryBadBoyscout
(he/him)
Mac, aka VeryBadBoyScout has been in the rope scene since 2008 and has performed in several countries around the world and has extended his services, art, and craftsmanship in photography and visual artistry. Mac has a passion for rope as both a craft and art form and dedicated a large portion of his classes to centering personal accountability and safety as a foundation before rope even touches the skin. Even with over a decade of experience, he’s always fascinated by watching and learning from other riggers and holds importance in protection and service within kink community through being just as eager to learn as he is to teach.
Whxt nxcole
(she/they)
Whitney, artistically known as, Whxt Nxcole (pronounced “Whit Nicole”) is a fluid being & artist that enjoys diving into several mediums and learning new ones. She particularly loves to indulge in, communicate through, and heal within movement. Experiences of trauma and abuse in her life left her feeling as though she was unable to connect with her own thoughts, feelings, and desires. It has been through a professional career as a dancer, choreographer, and creative director, that Whxt has beautifully grown into discovering her own voice and journey with sensuality. This is now her passion to help other connect to theirs.
From Whxt: “I believe we are all movers, naturally. To move is to thrive. The rise & fall of your chest as air fills and leaves your lungs, that movement is poetry. I want to help you move even more poetically than you already do, magical being. I’m so excited to meet you, learn with you, move with you, & grow with you!”
ryan foronda
(he/him)
Workshop Facilitator
Ryan is an intimacy & connection workshop facilitator. He has experience teaching workshops all over the world at events & festivals the past few years.
Most notably he facilitates workshops in partner massage, acroyoga, contact dance, tantra & kink.
His background as a certified massage therapist, acroyoga practitioner, and event production coordinator makes setting a fun, safe, and playful vibe feel seamless and easy.
CALBA
(they/them)
Rope Practitioner + Book Artist
Co-facilitator for the Partial Suspension series. With a background in community-centered collective practices, Calba’s approach to rope and bookbinding is rooted in intimacy, storytelling, and connection. As with binding books, and binding bodies, they focus on the ways we can liberate legacies of intergenerational trauma through embodied restraint and sharing story. Calba centers inclusivity in their rope and values the opportunity to learn and navigate new approaches and strategies to create avenues of access to everyone.
In addition to their rope and bookbinding practice, Calba has years of experience creating spaces exclusively for queer and trans Black, Indigenous and people of color to access rope, kink, and BDSM. They are trained in restorative justice practices, de-escalation, and trauma-informed care and bring these skills to any and all pleasure based community organizing.
They are available for private group classes or one-on-ones and are always down for supporting collective and grassroots organizing.
Switchy Witch
(she/her)
Jayna, also known as Switchy Witch, is a versatile artist and performer specializing in pole dancing and rope bondage. With a lifelong dedication to dance, she began her pole dancing journey in 2018 and expanded her repertoire to include the captivating art of shibari in 2021. Since then she has been both bottoming and topping, as you may have guessed, she is a switch.
Today, she mesmerizes audiences with her performances and imparts her expertise through workshops held in prominent cities such as Las Vegas, San Diego, and San Francisco. Jayna is also the visionary behind The Rope Coven, a women lead community of witches dedicated to exploring the intricacies of rope bondage.
At The Rope Collective, Jayna offers various workshops, private rope lessons & sessions.
Sydney Aldana
(she/they)
Sydney is a dynamic figure in the realm of personal empowerment, blending their expertise as a sex and relationship coach with their passion for dance and fire performance. With a lifelong dedication to movement and somatic practices, Sydney's journey as an instructor began in 2020 when they started leading workshops across San Diego and at music festivals.
Drawing from their extensive background in dance and somatic practices, Sydney seamlessly integrates breath work, mindful movement, and comprehensive sex education into her workshops. Their approach is deeply rooted in fostering self-awareness and empowerment, encouraging participants to explore their bodies and relationships with newfound confidence.
Sydney's workshops are more than just educational experiences; they are transformative journeys designed to ignite a sense of liberation and self-discovery. Whether guiding individuals through sensual movement or facilitating open conversations about intimacy, Sydney's compassionate guidance creates a safe space for exploration and growth.
As both a teacher and a performer, Sydney brings a unique blend of expertise, creativity, and infectious energy to her work, leaving participants inspired and empowered to embrace their fullest selves.