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Tag: Suspension Conventions

  • Twelve Points to the Sky

    Written by

    Jonathon

    There’s a particular kind of magic that happens at your first big suspension gathering when you arrive with nerves, an open heart, and the quiet hope of flight. Guided by the encouragement of mentor Lynn Loheide and driven by the quiet confidence of belonging, Alex stepped into a space rich with support and energy. The Superman suspension wasn’t just about the pose—it was about trusting the space, the practitioners, and their own strength. What unfolded was more than just flight. What was raised was more than just a Superman.

    Let it be known—Alex proudly claims the title of our very first BME Boy to grace the banner of BME News. A well-earned moment in the spotlight.

    This was also my first superman! I chose a superman for a couple reasons. The first reason is honestly that I wanted to feel like superman (lol). I wanted to soar through the air and really feel like I was flying. The other reason is in this space, surrounded by people doing some of the most beautiful suspensions I have ever seen, I wanted to push myself. I had only ever done two point upper backs before this, so the jump from 2 points to 12 points was huge. I knew that if I wanted to do something big, this was absolutely the space to do it, because at home we really didn’t have all the tools we needed yet. Being in the space made me all the more sure I was making the right call. The room was so full of love and support, people giving and receiving others’ energy as if they were doing something as simple and automatic as breathing. This was absolutely the space to push myself. 

    The suspension absolutely gave me what I needed in that moment. I had a lot of nervous energy build up over whether or not I was doing the right thing, or in the right place, all of the new facilitator anxieties were very real. With that suspension, I got to let all of that go and just be in my own body, and out of that anxiety. My brain got to stop running at a thousand miles a minute, and I got to just be Alex, and exist in that moment, surrounded by people sending their love.

    –Alex

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  • Ontario SusCon 2025

    Written by

    Jonathon

    In March 2025, BME attended the Ontario Suspension Convention in Hamilton, hosted by the Kevin Donaghy and the Ontario Suspension Collective. We had the pleasure to take part and help document the event, but also run a booth to sell a bunch of old (but not quite vintage) stickers and shirts. This is the first, of hopefully many to come, such attendances for BME. If you’re planning an event in the future please let us know!

    BME's booth at the Ontario Suspension Convension

    The venue was impressively organized with dedicated prep areas and massaged tables, meticulously stocked medical supplies, sharp containers, and probably every kind of bandage and antiseptic imaginable. Above us, eight suspension stations hung securely from the ceiling, including one robust enough for a swinging beam supporting two adults behaving like giddy children.

    The mornings started quiet, filled with briefings, presentations, and workshops outlining the day’s events. It felt worlds away from the casual backyard barbecue suspensions we experienced in the early 2000s This was refined, structured, and professional, yet no less powerful.

    Once briefings ended, facilitators and practitioners sprang into action—rigging ropes, prepping suspendees—and soon the day became a whirlwind of simultaneous suspensions across multiple rooms. I had to move around constantly, trying to be fully present, capturing people moving through cycles of pain, contentment, ecstasy, and release. It was intense, humbling, and deeply moving. I only hope the photographs do justice to the extraordinary experiences I witnessed.

    Faces around the venue were mostly new, but I did encounter a few familiar smiles—older now, of course, just like mine. It was comforting to see those familiar faces, especially remembering those we’ve lost along the way.

    Stay tuned for more OSC content, this was only a tease. We have plenty more photos to share and stories to tell! We are planning to attend more local events and would love to come see you so please let us know what upcoming events you are planning.

    Finally, if you attended OSC 2025 and haven’t been in contact with us or received your photos from the event please reach out to me directly (jonathon at bme dot com).

    Thank you. See you again soon.

    —Jonathon

    1 comment on Ontario SusCon 2025

  • Pain Solution US Tour

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Håvve Fjell and Pain Solution are back in the United States soon, touring with The Sqidling Brothers Circus Sideshow, and perhaps most excitingly wrapping up their tour in Dallas for the suscon with a performance with Stelarc (generally considered one of the grandfathers of modern suspension, along with Fakir Musafar). Jump to the website for up-to-date tour info, but here’s what’s been announced:

    To get an idea of what Pain Solution‘s shows are like, check out these videos:

    And as to the show with Stelarc, I’m not sure what they have planned for Dallas, but here’s what they did in Oslo last year. This is not something you want to miss — it’s one of those “once in a lifetime” events that will change the way you look at suspension. Any performer or practitioner able to make it to Dallas should do everything they can to make it!

  • Inverted Superrigging

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I was thinking about the “musical arc” of suspension, and if we’re going to compare the early suspension movement to all the little rock’n’roll bands that sprouted up across the Western World in the 1950s and 1960s, then I think that some of the suspension masters today — Havve of Pain Solution and Wings of Desire being a prime example — are in their prog rock phase. Prog rock was characterized with an absurd level of musical technical expertise and composing complexity that’s never been outdone in popular music, and I think suspension today is much like that — extreme technical feats, with complex and beautiful rigging that’s harder and harder to outdoe. I was about to wonder whether some sort of punk rock renaissance was next in suspension, a rejection of all this engineer-artistry and replacing it with guerrilla two-hook suicide suspension with a couple of shark hooks, but then I realized that one of the great things about suspension is that it’s not a matter of changing and exclusive tastes — it’s a matter of broadening tastes. Havve still plays in his garage punk band on the side while noodling away with the Musical Box-era Genesis of the suspension scene in Italy!!!

    Rambling aside, I really do continue getting blown away by every new suspension photo set I see (these are from Christianne’s collection) from the Italian Suscon — whenever the best minds in suspension get together at these events (and a big thank you to Allen Falkner and his Dallas Suscon for setting that in motion), amazing and inspiring things always happen.

    inverted-suspension

  • Tripod Suspensions in Italy

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Almost a decade ago I remember admiring pictures from Gus Diamond and Paragon in Hawaii doing suspensions, often on a beach or in the water itself — Suspension.org has some great photos of a sandbar suspension and ModBlog as well posted a nice pulling/suspension combo — using a large bamboo tripod allowing them to set up anywhere quickly. I was reminded of these pictures when I saw the tripod rig in use at the recent Italian Suscon, which is a similar design, but realized in metal for both increased durability and because it’s hinged at the top, even faster set-up and break-down. And like with the Hawaiian style suspensions, the resultant photos are quite beautiful. The first photo was posted by Marjolein Lankester van Rijn and the second by Giuseppe Beppe De Palo.

    italy-tripod-1

    italy-tripod-2

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