Lush red roses. Delectable chocolate truffles. Plush teddy bears. These are a few things that are normally associated with Valentine’s Day. From romantic getaways to Singles Awareness Day pity parties, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the Hallmark holiday. While some people decide to share playful banter over candlelit dinner, others like to have hot candle wax poured over their bare skin.
For those with an appetite for a less conventional form of affection, the AZ Fetish Ball invited everyone to get their “Valentine kink on” last Saturday night at the Venue of Scottsdale.
Decadent drapes and gaudy chandeliers lined the rooftop of the indoor courtyard. Hundreds of studded and strapped denizens perused a fetish vendor bazaar. Scantily clad couples frequented tables with lacy lingerie and kinky accessories. Headlined by English Goth rockers Nitzer Ebb, the event offered libations and pounded out industrial music throughout the night.
Most visitors chose to “dress up” for the occasion (think cleavage, lots of cleavage), but the fetish ball is more than just aesthetics. There was also a makeshift catwalk for bondage performances and an aptly equipped whipping stage.
Early in the evening the dark brooding music was put on pause. The clomp-clomp sound of thick-soled combat boots and click clacking of stiletto heals ceased. All attention turned to the catwalk as the performer known as Kumimonster appeared with diva Midori. Dressed like a Japanese geisha, Midori proceeded to slowly bind a shaved head Kumimonster with frayed rope.
Then things got interesting.
Midori involved the crowd by handing them leads to all of the ropes. With rope going in all directions and outstretched, Kumimonster began to look like an eight-armed Shiva. As the volunteers held her still, Midori poured hot candle wax on her head. The colored liquid seemed to harmlessly splash on her skin before hardening. And as it did she grimaced and scowled in pain. The crowd hooted and hollered.
After the performance the music resumed again like a racing pulse. Some people danced, others conversed candidly, and everyone posed for pictures for anyone with a camera.
Soon a thwacking sound began to emerge over the music. Pop, pop, smack seemed to be the cadence. Over at the whipping stage couples took turns hitting their partners with an array of leather whips and wooden planks. ASU graduate student Andi Vallone and Bryan Dean were one of the couples who participated.
Dean stood facing a black post with hands tightly secured in front of him. Behind him, a burly man stood with two flogging whips dangling from his hands. Vallone stood by his side holding a small horsewhip in her hand. She effortlessly flicked at Dean’s bare back as the brute lashed violently against his skin. Slowly his pale complexion reddened and raised with each impact, giving the phrase, “love hurts” a whole new meaning. When it was all over, Dean described the beating as euphoric. “It takes your mind to another place,” he says.
“Walking meditation,” Vallone calls it.
From the shoulders on up, Vallone and Dean look like any face you’d see in the streets. No intricate makeup or gas masks to hide their faces. Their attire for the evening though was entirely appropriate.
Dean sported a black mesh top, collar and leather chaps with camouflage colored boxers. Vallone wore a simple ensemble made of clear curve-hugging cellophane and strips of black electrical tape to hide her indecent parts; a lipstick-red thong revealed itself from behind the tape.
Seemingly advertised as an alternative way to spend Valentine’s Day, Vallone explained that the Fetish Ball is more than that.
“This is our normal lifestyle,” Vallone says. Although held on Valentine’s weekend, it’s not the reason why most people attend. “We’re just happy to have an outlet where we can do it in public.”
Whatever your motives, the Fetish Ball encourages you to consider replacing the nice button down shirt and elegant black dress for duct tape, rubber and lace next year. Forego that round of miniature golf and try your hand at submission.
Contact the reporter at jose.sandoval@asu.edu
