A young man based in Malta will this year be riding around the world on a bicycle – taking dance to victims of trauma in hospitals and clinics wherever he goes.

Gabin Corredor, 25, will offer performances and workshops to victims of natural disasters, long-term hospitalisation, abuse and addiction.

His ‘stage’ will include hospitals, psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities and wellness, crisis and senior community centres.

Mr Corredor has been based in Malta as a member of the island’s first national dance company. The young Frenchman has been a member of the ŻfinMalta Dance Ensemble since its inception nearly two-and-a-half years ago.

The idea for his tour first came to him when he travelled to India to perform with the company. There, he found the difference between social classes staring him right in the face. From then on, he woke up every morning feeling that he needed to do something.

One day, while on a plane to the Palestinian territories, he met a man called Mark Quattrocchi, who was cycling around the world and raising funds to build schools where there was no access to education.

Human contact is on the decline… and I believe that we should fight this

That was when he realised that anyone can make a difference, even through small actions. “Positivity inspires me. We’re becoming a society of negativity – we teach people to be scared of everything. We do not dare to meet ‘strangers’ anymore.

“Human contact is on the decline… and I believe that we should fight this,” he said.

For his project, Mr Corredor will collaborate with The Red Pencil, an NGO that provides art therapy. Its motto is: “When we rescue the child, we save the adult”.

He believes people sometimes keep things bottled up for a long time, as they do not know how to express pain or simply because it is hard to talk about it. They then grow into adults, turning into prisoners of the trauma still inside them.

The sooner they find a way to heal that trauma, the better, he told this newspaper.

For him, dance is a liberating art form that can help create healthy bonds between people. Dance helped him build his own self-confidence, allowing him to say things without using words.

He believes that if dance had an impact on his well-being, then it can help anyone regain control: “Dance is the place where no one will judge you. Dance is the place where you can express your words and feelings through movement.”

Mr Corredor’s tour will last at least a year, but with no fixed end date, it might take more time. His initial plans are to cross some 25 countries, including Romania, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Guatemala.

But before he sets off, he needs to raise €9,000 to fund the necessary equipment, including camping and cooking gear, as well as visas.

His benefactors will receive a token of appreciation, and depending on their generosity, this could include the opportunity to live part of the adventure with Mr Corredor, or to have him camp in their garden for a chat about inspiration and motivation.

For more information, visit the project website or the Facebook page called ‘The Moving Cycle Adventure’.