At Expression Explorers we believe that people make the workshops an unmatchable opportunity and experience. They embody the mission of the company and strive in delivering excellence.
Company Founder and Head of Dance Department
Stefka Baxter
Stefka was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and raised in Bulgaria, England and France. She has been dancing from the age of 5, Stefka is IDTA (International Dance Training Association) trained. She has previously danced ballet with Royal Ballet, street dance with Britney Spears, Jay-Z and Missy Elliot music video backup dancers, competed in Ballroom and Latin dance styles in Blackpool, and additionally, her choreographies earned 3 years of regular local press coverage. Her favourite dance styles include waltz, tango, rumba, samba and cha-cha-cha.
An injury changes Stefka’s life path and lead her to study business, languages, accounting, marketing and sales. She speaks four languages and has previously worked as a translator, language teacher, accountant and business development director. After a heart attack scare, she realised that it is time to go back to her dance roots and launches Expression Explorers.
Here approach is to first inspire, ignite the passion of the art of dance and then, teach the tools and techniques, all in line with nurturing the child’s self-expression.
Stefka lives in English wool town in Suffolk, Long Melford with her husband, two amazing little boys age 2 and 5, dog Bella and cat called Tonic. When Stefka is not dancing, she likes to go running, read poetry. She keeps on exploring the world around her and continuously learning new skills.
Head of the Music Department
Ekaterina Dalley
Ekaterina Dalley is a pianist. She started playing piano at age 4 and then studied in specialised music schools including the music conservatoire in Plovdiv, Bulgaria for her music teaching degree and prepared classical music orchestra conductor. However, with the political and economical changes in Bulgaria and becoming a mother of a little girl Stefka, Ekaterina came to the UK to do her MBA, and subsequently, set up a number of successful businesses.
Ekaterina’s passion is to make complicated musical theories accessible to all children, in a fun way.
Krasen Gospodinov
Accordionist, folkloric music composer and music conservatoire lecturer
Expression Explorers are using Krasen Gospodinova musical interpretation and dance interdependencies theories. He met Ekaterina as a student in the very same music conservatoire, he now teaches in. Back then he was a student and doing his music degree and is Stefka’s father.
Head of Art Department
Emma Lazelle
Emma is an author and illustrator and mural artist based in Suffolk. She graduated from Cambridge School of Art with an MA in Children’s Book Illustration in 2018 and BA in illustration from university for the creative arts in 2014. She has four published children’s books and her artwork can be spotted on lots of local windows as she also, paints seasonal window murals.
When not drawing or painting Emma loves visiting schools to carry out workshops, and has years of experience working with children in various ways from author appearances at literary festivals, libraries and schools, to previously working as a teaching assistant and running art clubs, and volunteering in girl guiding. Emma’s artwork is mixed media and her favourite medium at the moment is gouache paint, but it often changes. She loves collaging handmade textures with expressive inky dip pen lines. Her inspiration comes from all sorts of places, from everyday moments with her daughters, trips to the market, and little adventures to the sea or the city.
Emma is a mother of two wonderful little girls age two and five. She and Stefka met on a school run and discovered a shared love for creativity. From that moment on they never looked back.