São Paulo

The São Paulo scene

São Paulo’s dedicated rope studios are recent, and the best-documented history is that of one teacher. According to her school, Akira Nawa began tying in 2011, started studying shibari more seriously in 2013 and decided in 2016 to make her living from it. The following year she opened Estúdio Karada, which the school calls the first shibari studio in Brazil, and in 2024 she opened Espaço Shibari in the Saúde district to give the community a stronger base and teaching a more structured home. How Japanese rope spread beyond Japan is told in Kinbaku goes global.

Escola de Shibari

Escola de Shibari teaches a method that, in its own words, grows out of Akira Nawa’s personal style. It starts from practice, listening and care for the learner, keeps classes small and pays attention to technique, safety and each student’s needs. Its longest program, Formação em Shibari I, runs to 36 in-person sessions and 72 hours, with groups starting in February 2027. Shorter options include a half-day beginner workshop and workshops on the physics of rope, advanced patterns and suspension, some with international guest teachers. The school holds the Entre Nós Shibari Jam at Espaço Shibari on Saturday afternoons, about once a month in 2026, and its students have performed at a Halloween party it organized at a bar in Bela Vista. For what to expect at a jam, see Rope jams, munches and salons.

Shibari House Brasil

Shibari House Brasil began in Penha in January 2021 with the stated mission of making shibari more accessible in Brazil through high-quality products, technical knowledge and safe experiences. That same year it produced a complete online course, and it has taught workshops in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba. It also contributed rope techniques, advice and products to the Netflix series Olhar Indiscreto, produced in 2023. In November 2024 it found a permanent studio, Estúdio Ifigênia, in the historic center; visits are by appointment. Its curating partner Mariana Rodeso leads the programming, and its managing partner Rigger Maia makes its products.

The studio’s week is built around study groups rather than one-off classes. Léo ForaIsso leads Teoria das Cordas on Mondays for people who already tie and Sobre Nós on Wednesdays for beginners. A Friday group works on flexibility and endurance for the people who are tied, a monthly Cine Shibari screens performances, films and documentary footage, and a full course from beginner to advanced meets three Saturdays a month. The house also hosts talks on politics and sexuality, performances and supervised practice.

A festival and other teaching

Nakama Nawa is an annual weekend that presents itself as made by people who practice shibari for people who love it. Its third edition, on 5 and 6 September 2026 at Matilha Cultural, combined an exhibition by independent artists and three performances in different rope styles with a beginner couples’ workshop and an open jam. The guest teacher was the rigger and model Gorgone, whom the organizers introduced as a co-founder of the online school Shibari Study, on her first visit to Brazil; local artists on the program included Leviriet. Smaller workshops run elsewhere in the city: the rope shop Rope Store & Co., for example, has held an introductory day in Vila Buarque aimed at people who have never tied, with theory, practice and an emphasis on safety.

Classes, websites and event listings in São Paulo are in Portuguese.