Meet Stefanie!
Stefanie, Co-Founder of Taboo Festival, has been attracted to the world of tantra, sacred and conscious sexuality like a moth to a flame since she had her first genuine experiences of its power and beauty in 2019.
It is her work, her play, her passion and her community.
She has studied and worked with ISTA for a number of years and is a VITA certified Sex, Love and Relationship Coach. She also shares her gifts in Dakini sessions and in group sex and body positive events wherever she may be in the world.
She is on a soul mission to show people the truth of who and what they are, and with that her work is very much about freeing people from the delusion of the shame that binds them and moving instead towards being fully and proudly sexually expressed humans in all of their shapes and colors.
For her, this festival is about empowerment. It is an invitation to evolve into the highest and best version of yourself. She wants you to take this opportunity to express yourself in all of your authenticity.
Step into your power and shine!
Her workshops 'Sex Magic Ritual to Save the World', 'Making Love to the Shadow' and 'Temple of God' will be running at Taboo Festival ‘24
You can find out more about Stefanie's work here:
Instagram: @stefanieoconnor.life
Facebook: Stefanie O’Connor
Website: https://stefanieoconnor.life
Meet Steve Shiva!
Having first been introduced to Tantra over 14 years ago in the OSHO International Resort, Pune, India, since then Steve Shiva continues to be drawn to its power of transformation and healing.
For him, its honoring of the divine feminine, and its alchemical power of transgressing the traditional by living the totality of all levels of ourselves makes Tantra the only path that allows us to new experience the truth of who we are - powerful, human, divine, love, dark and light all at once.
The essence of his work is always the same - cultivating and curating a relational space which empowers everyone to live totally, playfully and most important of all, authentically. He believes that our world can transform through connecting to and embodying the truth - that we are infinitely powerful, and the divine feminine and divine masculine in one.
Be notorious. Be real. Come alive.
His workshop 'Notorious Love - The Holy Trinity' will be running at Taboo Festival ‘24
You can find out more about Shiva's work here:
Instagram: steve.shiva.notorioushearts
Facebook: Notorious Hearts
Youtube: Man-In Retreats and Workshops
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/steveshiva.notorioushearts
Meet Maya & Roni!
Maya Magdalena & Roni Averashi - life partners sharing passion for truth, transformation and giving it all.
A Polish and an Israeli - both left their countries at an early age to seek answers & freedom and have been on the path since then - exploring both light & dark, spirituality & sexuality and everything in between, learning everyday what it means to LOVE and be HUMAN.
Maya Magdalena has studied at various modern days mystery schools, dedicated to Soul initiation, cosmology and deep feminine mysteries. Her unique approach blends trauma-informed modalities with initiatory, transformational fire. She is passionate about breaking taboos, intelligence of the body and ecstatic human nature.
Roni Averashi is a certified somatic therapist, dedicated to men´s work, conscious relating and the path of living an authentic and transparent life. A father of two, loves seeing people expressing vulnerabilities, hearts melting and shields falling down.
They co-lead a non-profit “CumWhatMay” - an inclusive community rewriting the narrative around sex and providing destigmatizing spaces.
Their workshop 'Cum What May' will be running at Taboo festival 2024.
Meet Amanda Biccum!
Amanda Biccum is an Intimacy Coach & Embodiment Mentor. She has studied at the International School of the Temple Arts (ISTA), Beyond Temple and was a lead assistant at The Field Trauma Informed Facilitator Training. She is one of the founders of ‘Mr. & Mrs - conscious parties.’
Her work focuses on guiding women back into connection with their bodies, their pleasure and their sexuality. She firmly believes that our body is our temple and coming back ‘home’ to our bodies is the pathway to more pleasure and deeply fulfilling relationships.
She spent many years traveling the world learning from various teachers, disciplines and spiritual practices around the world. She has also taught at different Tantra Festivals & workshops all over the world teaching Feminine Embodiment & Deeper Intimacy workshops and retreats such as “The Deeper Intimacy Collective”.
Her workshops: ''That Just Fucked Feeling' ''Notorious Love, The Holy Trinity' and 'The Temple of God" will be running at Taboo Festival ‘24
You can find out more about Amanda here:
www.amanda-biccum.mykajabi.com
Instagram: @theamandabiccum
Facebook: Amanda Biccum
Meet Rosalind H Smith!
Rosalind Holgate Smith is a Dance Artist and Choreographer currently living and working in Berlin.
Inspired by her work with touch she creates performances and installations that explore intimate experiences between people, place and the environment.
She completed a BA(hons) in Fine Art & Choreography at Dartington College of Arts and a Masters in Dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance.
Rosalind has also studied somatic movement practices including Body Mind CenteringⓇ, Authentic Movement, Skinner Release Technique and The Axis Syllabus and taught Contact Improvisation all over the world, including with professional dancers, in Universities and with diverse groups including disabled adults, and older people.
At present she is completing a PhD that investigates how touch makes possible encounters with Otherness and the vocabulary used in Contact Improvisation at Kingston University, in London. She also offers somatic massage and aquatic bodywork and she teaches yoga and swimming with the Alexander Technique.
Her workshop: "The Unveiling" will be running at Taboo Festival ‘24.
You can find out more about her work here:
https://rosalindholgate-smith.com
Meet Shirka!
Shirka (she/her) has a background in music, performance and art.
With many years in the sex-positive scene, Shir has discovered her own unique way of expressing her inner dominatrix, a role which was out of her comfort zone for many years and now she enjoys it fully.
Inspiring people and creating safe spaces where individuals can freely explore themselves and their boundaries are two of her great talents.
Shirka and Till will be co-hosting the workshop 'Facesitting' at Taboo Festival ‘24.
Meet Sura!
Sura Hertzberg is a pleasure facilitator and energy catalyst whose playground is the body and mind.
Her work holds multiple disciplines and mediums – ranging from psychotherapy to embodied art, practices from bodywork to ritual – and alchemizes themes of sexuality, pleasure, love, and altered states of consciousness.
Sura has engaged and guided various communities across the globe, from Berlin to the Bay area. She holds an MA in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and works transpersonally with couples, individuals, and groups.
Her most recent publication, Sex & Psychedelics Mag, is available on her website, surahertzberg.com and sexandpsychedelics.com
Sura will be presenting 'Fucking with Monogamy' at Taboo Festival 2024.
Meet Kirstine Weaver!
Kirstine is a certified sexological bodyworker, somatic coach, and energy worker. They support marginalised folk of all genders to slow down and connect to the unique stories held in their bodies, in order to heal and release what no longer serves.
Kirstine is multiple neurodivergent person with chronic illness and brings their lived experience of disability to their work. They enjoy teaching others about conscious touch and both sensory and energetic play. Their 1:1 clients include those who identify as Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diverse (GSRD), highly sensitive people and neurodivergent folk. Kirstine also works with practitioners who support these demographics.
Join Kirstine at Taboofest workshops exploring what it might be like to navigate sex when you are less able, and discover how your energy genitals wish to be seen!
Kirstine will be running "Energy Genitals" and "Sex for the Less Able'" at Taboo Festival '24
You can find out more about Kirstine's work here:
Instagram: @kirstine_weaver
Facebook: Kirstine Weaver: Body Led Alchemy
Meet Kian!
Kian is a Certified Somatic Sex Educator, Cuddle Party and Wheel of Consent® Workshop Facilitator, structural integration bodyworker, director of the School of Somatic Sexology and Vice President of the Association of Certified Sexological Bodyworkers (ACSB).
He is passionate about sharing the joys and trials of greater embodiment with the world.
The dream that guides his work is creating a world that cherishes erotic embodiment as a guiding principle.
He sees this work as vital to counteract the cultural tendencies toward performative sex.
He views this work as an opportunity to connect with our genuine curiosity and unique passions so that our sexuality is not just another metric we use to measure ourselves against some imagined ideal, and more like a galaxy of choices available to explore.
Kian will be running 'The Wheel of Consent", "Circles - A Communal Ceremony of Self Pleasure" and an Anal Massage workshop at Taboo Fest '24.
You can find out more about Kian's work here:
Facebook: Kian de la Cour
https://somaticsexology.school
Meet Steffi & Mike!
Get ready to embark on an adventure with Kinky Explorer, where Steffi (she/they) and Mike(he/him) invite you to dive into the world of kink and conscious BDSM.
With years of experience, they bring a down-to-earth approach to their workshops, blending expertise with warmth, humor, and authenticity.
They use their personal experiences from years of playing to teach only what they have tried and tested themselves. They believe that kink is more than just tools—it's about connection, communication, and mutual respect.
The core subject in all their workshops is the co-creation of scenes that are equally fulfilling for both tops and bottoms, ensuring that everyone feels empowered to explore their desires and limits at their own pace and choice.
As a team, Steffi and Mike are dedicated to guiding and supporting their participants to navigate the complexities of BDSM with more clarity and empathy.
With Kinky Explorer, Steffi and Mike aim to establish a community of like-minded adventurers, offering a place to learn, grow, and connect together.
So come join us, and let's explore together!
Steffi and Mike will be presenting 'Erotic Fireplay' and 'Ecstatic Flogging' at Taboo Festival 2025.
You can find out more about Steffi and Mike's work here:
Instagram: @kinky_explorer
Meet Roby!
Roby Two Spirit (Queer) is 36 years old and coming from Chile carrying the energy of the condor of the Andes.
They have been a devout practitioner of the Camino Rojo traditional rituals for about 6 years, have done 9 days of Vision Quest and hold a Sacred Pipe. Roby leads Cacao, Rapé and Tabacco Ceremonies, guides singing circles and also gives diversity & inclusion, mindfulness and tantra yoga workshops in Berlin and around the World.
Roby will be co-facilitating with Asis Aviv. Together they will share a sacred cacao ceremony as part of the opening ritual for the very first Taboo Festival 2024!
Nikkiema is joining us!
Nikkiema Rai is a Somatic Sexologist, Sexological Bodyworker, speaker, and facilitator. She has studied, worked and coached in the sexuality industry for over 8 years now, and during that time, she has facilitated at some of the most pioneering sexuality schools in the world, hosted dozens of pleasure activation circles, kink and erotic workshops, women’s and mixed space circles, and self-pleasure workshops, as well as working directly with individuals and couples. Nikkiema is passionate about ritual, sexuality, relating, and all things somatic, and is best known for her transformational work supporting people to create rich lives and relationships full of depth and connection.
Together with Seani Love, she'll be running Saturday Night's Kinky Magic Temple of Love.
