Leading Light
Stefan is one of the founding circle dance teachers in the UK, with over four decades of international experience. He has led workshops, retreats, and cultural programmes across the world, working with participants ranging from complete beginners to advanced practitioners.
Over the past 10 years
his focus has turned toward the field of trauma transformation. Drawing on extensive work in mental health settings and with vulnerable communities, Stefan has developed a body-based, accessible approach to healing through movement.
His work maps
a gentle yet structured pathway through recovery—while also recognising that within life’s most challenging experiences lie the seeds of heightened awareness, resilience, and creative growth.
Personal Quest
Born into a refugee family from Romania and Belarus and raised in East London, Stefan’s early life was shaped by shyness, anxiety, bullying, and low self-esteem. Much of his inner world unfolded in imagination, with a sense of disconnection from the body.
This became
the starting point for a lifelong inquiry into psychology, philosophy, and spirituality - an exploration grounded in one central aim: to reconnect with, integrate, and ultimately care for the hurt and abandoned parts of the self.
This personal journey
now underpins his teaching, research, writing, and group work.
Stefan’s approach has evolved through collaboration with dance and movement therapists in Brazil, Mexico, Poland, and the UK. His integrative method draws on a wide range of disciplines, including:
The result is a distinctive, body-led approach that combines emotional depth with clarity, creativity, and accessibility.
Designer Dances
Stefan’s choreography integrates interoception with rich emotional expression. His dances move fluidly between playful, fiery energy and moments of stillness, dignity, and reflection.
He has created
over 150 original dances—often described as “spicy” for their character and depth—which are now taught and celebrated internationally.
A multi-instrumentalist,
Stefan plays accordion, melodeon, piano, guitar, darabouka, wooden flute, and mandolin. Live music and song are central to his events, creating an atmosphere that is both celebratory and deeply connective.
His dance background includes:
Greek, Balkan, Israeli, Palestinian and Roma traditions, alongside Cuban Salsa, Dominican Bachata, and Brazilian Forró.
Stefan coined the widely adopted phrase: “There are no mistakes, only variations.”
This principle sits at the heart of his teaching.
He works with a wide range of groups, including refugee communities, adults in mental health support settings, and diverse learning environments. Across all contexts, he is known for a style that is light, inclusive, and deeply encouraging.
With a global following in the circle dance community, Stefan creates spaces where people feel safe to explore, express, and rediscover themselves—through movement, music, and shared human experience.
