A body that errs is a free body
From mistake to blossoming. Body, memory and transformation
Movement retreat inspired by the poetic and political legacy of Danilo Dolci
Borgo di Dio – Trappeto (PA), Sicily
27–29 March 2026
Facilitated by Soad Ibrahim
This spring retreat is the second chapter of the project Peace is another way of living, born in autumn 2025 at Borgo di Dio.
If the first meeting opened a space of listening, presence, and gesture as a nonviolent act, this new chapter explores what we often avoid in dance, life, and history: mistake.
Individual and collective mistakes.
Mistakes in the body, in relationships, in historical processes.
Not as something to correct or hide, but as living material, a ground from which transformation can arise.
A body that errs is a free body:
free from conforming to a model,
free to stumble,
free to change direction.
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Learning from history to inhabit the present
Danilo Dolci gave voice to those considered “social errors”: peasants, fishermen, excluded children, forgotten communities.
He transformed marginality into creative and political strength through listening, cooperation, and nonviolent disobedience.
Following this path, the retreat proposes a body-based practice that begins with what is often judged as inadequate:
imperfection, clumsiness, limitation, shame, failure.
Just as history should learn from its wounds to avoid repeating them,
in dance — and in daily life — we can learn from our mistakes
to avoid stiffening, and instead transform.
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A body that errs is a living body
In Dolci’s thinking and action, the body was the place where change became visible:
gesture after gesture, action after action.
Reverse strikes, slow marches, active silences:
simple, radical, embodied actions.
We choose to dance from here:
from a body that listens, stumbles, deviates,
that disobeys with gentleness,
and finds new possibilities of relation in the mistake.
A still body adapts.
A moving body that accepts not knowing becomes a tool for transformation.
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Three days of residential practice
At Borgo di Dio — a place born from a dream of collective change — we will explore:
• the mistake as the origin of gesture
• imperfection as creative space
• individual and collective listening as political practice
• movement as a practice of liberation and responsibility
Three days to traverse, through breath and movement, the themes that inhabit this place:
nonviolence, justice, cooperation, creative disobedience.
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✨ What we will do
• Warm-up techniques and movement awareness
• Silent walks and listening practices in the Borgo landscape
• Exercises on gestures that arise from mistakes, resist, deviate, and transform
• Exploration of mistake, imperfection, judgment, inadequacy and shame as doors to new movement and relation
• Individual and collective improvisations and compositions
• Moments of sharing and reflection
A path that intertwines artistic research and political memory, where the body becomes a space of relation, choice, and possibility.
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🕊️ Why dance at Borgo di Dio
Borgo di Dio is more than a place: it is a concrete idea, an embodied vision.
It was built stone by stone in the 1950s by Danilo Dolci—sociologist, poet, and nonviolent activist—together with the people of Trappeto, to welcome disadvantaged children and create a center for education, art, and dignity.
Dolci believed in a revolution rooted in deep listening, cooperation, and active presence.
He practiced reciprocal maieutics, where each person could become a vessel of expression and transformation.
To dance today in this place is not only a creative act, but a form of living memory and poetic action.
It is a way to restore the body’s social role, creating space through movement where once dreams were built by hand, with effort and hope.
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👣 Who is it for
For dancers, performers, actors, body researchers, and anyone new to movement.
For those who believe movement is also a civic act.
For those seeking a practice of listening, free from imposition.
For those who feel that every gesture and conscious breath can change the world.
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ℹ️ Practical Info
📍 Location: Borgo di Dio – Trappeto (PA), Sicily
🗓 Dates: 27 March (starting at 5 PM) – 29 March 2026 (ending at 6 PM)
🛏️ Accommodation: shared double rooms with shared bathrooms
🥗 Meals: vegetarian, included in the participation fee
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💰 Costs
We offer flexible contributions:
➢ Root Contribution – €270
Includes workshops, meals, and accommodation.
This is the minimum needed to sustain the work and cover basic expenses.
➢ Flower Contribution
If you can contribute more, you are welcome to donate any amount above the base rate to support and nourish the project.
🌱 Choose the contribution that suits you best.
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📩 Registration & Info
info@soadibrahim.it
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🚗 How to get to Trappeto
Trappeto is located between Palermo and Trapani, on the Sicilian coast.
• ✈️ Closest airports: Palermo (PMO) or Trapani (TPS)
• 🚆 Train: regional trains from Palermo Centrale
• 🚗 By car: A29 Palermo–Mazara del Vallo, exit Partinico/Trappeto
• 🚌 We help organize local rides and shuttles for those arriving by train or plane
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🎒 What to bring
• A mat for floor work (yoga or similar)
• Comfortable clothes for dancing
• Comfortable shoes for outdoor walking
• Notebook and pen
• A personal object to share
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❓ FAQ
Do I need to be a professional dancer?
No. The workshop is open to anyone with experience or sensitivity in bodywork, movement, or artistic research. We value diversity of artistic, professional, cultural, and generational backgrounds.
Can I join if I have physical limitations?
Absolutely. The work is based on listening and every body will find its own way to participate.
Can I bring my children or a companion?
Contact us and we will evaluate together based on available space.
Is there phone/internet coverage?
Basic coverage is available. A voluntary disconnection is recommended to fully immerse in the experience.
Are the bathrooms shared?
Yes, in line with the simple and communal nature of the Borgo.
They are spacious, clean, and organized with separate areas for men and women.
Can I join without staying overnight at the Borgo?
The retreat is designed as a residential experience. Living the space, rhythms, meals, and silences together is part of the process.
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“If the eye does not train, it cannot see.
If the skin does not touch, it cannot know.
If a person does not imagine, they fade.”
— Danilo Dolci