École des Cordes

The École des Cordes presents itself as the first school in France devoted to kinbaku and gives 2010 as its founding year; its current pages do not say who founded it. Its head teacher, Alex DirtyVonP, took the school over in 2016. According to his biography he trained with Naka Akira from 2013 to 2016 and also credits Riccardo Wildties, through whom he came to semenawa, as well as Georg Barkas and Teshin as influences. The school puts Naka-ryū at the center of its teaching. In 2024 he co-wrote the book L’Art du Bondage with Stéphanie Doe.

Course levels

Group classes are arranged in three levels. Level 1, Foundations, covers safety principles, basic knots, rope handling and first floor positions, through a one-day initiation for pairs, a three-hour discovery class that can be taken alone, and a floor-positions class. Level 2, Structures, centers on the takate kote or gote harness in a two-hour class, plus a three-hour class on restraint and bamboo on the floor. Level 3 moves to partial suspension and full suspension in three-hour classes that require a solid TK/gote and practical experience. Except for the initiation and discovery formats, classes are taken with a partner, and rope is provided in class.

Practice, workshops and events

The agenda also lists Sunday deepening classes, a self-tie day, “Bondage for Bedroom” evenings and a nawa kai for rope bottoms that riggers may join. A supervised jam began in 2025; the school describes it as held on the last Monday of each month from 19:30, by reservation, open to pairs and solo tiers, with Alex DirtyVonP giving advice on technique. Guest teachers lead weekend workshops; the 2027 agenda includes an aibunawa workshop and paired performances. With Lalhow66 the school organizes Paris Kinbaku Day, an afternoon of performances by French and international rope artists in a central Paris theater, whose second edition is set for November 22, 2026.

Private lessons and private or immersive sessions are offered at all levels, and the school runs a paid online membership, Le Cercle, with tutorial videos (listed from €7 a month in November 2026). The site is in French.