After the most recent (AN)OTHER ORGY workshop, “
,” we interviewed a few participants
and asked them what it was like for them…
>> Listen to the interviews here!
“A festival of unbridled debauchery,” says the Duden; “a nocturnal celebration of Bacchus; a sacred ritual; a mystical religious service; a secret cult gathering at night,” says the etymology; “collective acts that deliberately violate social norms,” says the Wikipedia entry.
An orgy! Whether shrouded in legend or just plain crass. In any case, our cultural unconscious is filled with countless hazy notions of what an orgy might be like. It’s no wonder it’s on so many people’s bucket lists. Wait no longer! Our three-day, insatiable workshop takes this fantasy to heart.
Because organizing orgies is tricky. How do you handle all those bodies? And all those emotions, different needs, and the abundance of possibilities? One step at a time!
Through the dance form known as Contact Improvisation and touch exercises from Sexological Bodywork, we explore how to engage in full-body contact, open ourselves up to a flow without preconceived expectations, and navigate that flow as safely as possible.
Through consensual communication, we check in with ourselves and others to ensure that our interactions are not only respectful of boundaries but also more courageous.
Mindfulness and physical exercises will invite you to observe more closely, to bring what’s happening into sharper focus, to notice how it affects you, so that you can engage with it with integrity and greater agency—or even take a break now and then.
A fusion of methods from the performing arts and Radical Honesty will help us reenact our favorite orgies and become the architects of our fantasies.
I’d like to create plenty of space for reflection, contemplation, and discussion—to let the experience sink in and gently explore it. What do these attempts at orgies reveal and convey? How does this relate to me, to our group, and to society?
Thesis: You learn to celebrate orgies by celebrating orgies. So we’ll launch several orgy experiments, reflect on them again and again, and use the insights we gain to dive into the next orgy, emerge from it, reflect on that, and then another orgy… They’re certainly multifaceted enough! There will be luxurious, lazy lounging, as if we were the magnificent, vine-entwined bodies of antiquity. There could be pyjama party-style pillow fights—chaotic scenes of wild dry humping just like in our teenage years. At times, it might feel as though everyone is transforming into creatures of flora and fauna—into intertwining networks of mushrooms growing on top of one another, or schools of dolphins penetrating every breathing hole, into jellyfish drifting with the waves—instead of always having to do it ourselves.
As workshop facilitators, we carefully build up all these “impossible” possibilities and offer playful guidance that you can use to find your bearings and dive even deeper, rather than stumbling around in a vacuum. We invite you to slow down, breathe, and feel. To broaden your perspective and experience your own self-expression as an influential and interdependent part of a greater whole. Bubbly and invigorating, just like a glass of champagne!
Organizational Matters
On Friday, we'll start together at 3:30 p.m. Please try to be there by 3:00 p.m.—we'll be conducting COVID tests beforehand.
We plan to wrap up on Sunday around 4:00 p.m.
Getting tested for STIs beforehand is definitely a good idea, and it’s a great opportunity, especially before the orgy. At the last sex-positive get-together, a lot of people talked about S.A.M. Health—maybe that’s something for you.
Right now, the plan is to order food on Friday night and Saturday night.
Gender
In principle, your gender identity or sexual orientation should not play a role in the registration process. However, we will reserve some of the spots for queer individuals or those who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, because experience has shown that many feel more comfortable when they don’t feel “alone” among a majority of cis men (which is not meant to be a blanket statement).
Safety & Expectations
The goals of our events are collaborative learning within a group, as well as fostering shared processes and personal development.
To ensure that everyone is included equally, we usually pair participants at random for the exercises. This means there will be both similar and diverse combinations of gender, age, experience, sexual orientation, and so on.
Participants should, as a general rule, be open to working with every person and every body.
There will always be ways to adapt the exercises, suspend them, or rearrange the pairs or groups if participation in certain configurations is simply not possible.
Couples, polyamorous groups, and all other types of partnerships or friendships are warmly welcome—just be aware that we treat all participants as if they were singles. In other words, the course is not specifically geared toward couples, but rather toward individuals participating in a large-group experience.
Take the pressure off
Explicitly sexual interactions are welcome, but not required. Being massaged by several hands, forming a cuddle pile, building a tower of naked bodies, moaning in unison, and forming a biting circle are all orgiastic activities… We do whatever feels good to us.
There will be quiet corners where you can be present in the room without interacting with others (so you’ll be left alone without having to leave the room).
Communication
We'll agree on verbal and nonverbal cues that we can use to signal whether we want more, less, or to stop.
Harmonious cooperation is just as important here as creating space to handle situations with care when misunderstandings or emotional outbursts do lead to a breakdown in consensus.
Matís and Beata will be in charge of the space, so they won’t be participating in the exercises or orgies—instead, they’ll do their best to provide you with gloves, lube, and other supplies if needed. At most, one of us might step in if it makes sense during a group exercise, if something else isn’t working out, or if we can help with our expertise, experience, and creativity. In doing so, we’ll strive to be as mindful as possible of our position of power and to follow the intentions that align with and support the group’s process at any given moment (rather than primarily seeking to gain something for ourselves personally from these interactions).
There will be an opportunity to talk—including about safe sex, specific needs, insecurities, fantasies…
We expect everyone to act with caution, openness, a focus on consent, and mindfulness, and we encourage everyone to be mindful of their own boundaries and take personal responsibility.
We reserve the right to prevent participants from continuing to participate in the workshop if their behavior is offensive. Hate speech will not be tolerated.
Financing
We are very excited to take a chance—thanks to the support of the Ewaldshof—and let participants decide for themselves how much they can and would like to pay.
As a general guideline: At our venue in Berlin, the standard price is around 300 €, though we always encourage people to reach out if finances are a barrier to participation—we’ll find a way to make it work. The idea is that those who can afford it help cover the costs through supporter tickets, and that everyone else contributes by helping with setup and takedown. Now you can simply choose any amount between €1 and €10,000—and we trust you :)
SCHEDULE
Start: Fri, Feb. 21, 2025, 3:00 p.m.
End: Sun, Feb. 23, 2025, 4:00 p.m.
The end of class may be slightly delayed for this event.
LANGUAGES
German
FEATURING
, Beata & Matís d’Arc
Further informations
NOTES ON THE EVENT
Those interested in this workshop should be somewhat comfortable with nudity. If you have any doubts or questions about this, please contact us in advance.
The goals of our events are collaborative learning within the group, supporting shared processes, and personal development. Couples and all other types of partnerships or relationships are welcome, but you should be aware and open to the fact that the courses are not designed as partnership experiences and that we address each person as an individual. For example: To ensure that all participants are equally involved, we usually work with randomly assigned partner combinations during the exercises. This means there will be both same-gender and mixed-gender pairings. Participants should generally be open to working with any person and any body. Exceptions can be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
Gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or membership in marginalized groups such as BBIPoC, migrants, refugees, LGBTQIA*, people with disabilities, etc., are not criteria for registration or participant selection.
We expect you to act with care, be communicative, prioritize consent, and be mindful, and we encourage you to respect your own boundaries and take personal responsibility.
Hate speech will not be tolerated. Please bring “Candy Speech” with you.
We reserve the right to ask participants to leave the workshop if their behavior is harmful or problematic, and we reserve the right to do so without explanation—although we will likely try to explain our decision. Workshop fees would then be refunded in full. Any further claims are excluded.
We do our best to accommodate different needs, but our resources are limited. Please contact us if you have any questions.
You can read more about this topic here.
PRICES AND IF SOLD OUT
With our Low(er) Income Tickets, we want to give low-income individuals the opportunity to attend our events. We warmly invite those with higher incomes to help us make this offer possible by contributing a bit more. With that in mind, we thank you in advance for your solidarity.
For PEOPLE WITH PARTICULARLY LOW INCOMES, there is usually the option of even lower prices. Please don't hesitate to write to us and ask. We'd love to have you join us!
Is the event sold out on the ticketing platform? Contact us! There may be a waitlist or another way for you to attend after all.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellations are free of charge up to eight weeks before the start of the course, up to four weeks before the start of the course a cancellation fee of 20% of the course fee is due, up to two weeks before the start of the course a cancellation fee of 50% is due. Later cancellations and refunds of participant fees are not possible. However, participants can find substitute participants who will take the booked places. In case of cancellation by the organizer, the course fee will be refunded in full. Further claims are excluded.