Diane Bradbury Theatre Dance School

🩰 WEEK 2 OF OUR 3-WEEK SPLITS CHALLENGE! 💕

How did you get on with Week 1? Have you been keeping up with your stretching? 👀

This week we’re adding a single-leg hamstring stretch to help improve flexibility through the back of the legs — an important area when working towards your front splits.

Remember, we’re not looking for perfection! Small improvements are still improvements. ✨

💪 Keep up your Week 1 hip flexor stretch
🩰 Add this week’s hamstring stretch
⏱️ Hold for 20–30 seconds, twice on each side
🚫 No bouncing or forcing — stretching should never be painful

And most importantly…

COMMITMENT + CONSISTENCY = PROGRESS! 💙

Keep going, dancers! We can’t wait to see your Week 2 progress photos! 📸💕 Send them to us in private or tag us if you prefer!! It’s best to take your photo in the same place and same position to really show off your progress.

🩰 THE 3-WEEK SPLITS CHALLENGE STARTS NOW!

Can you improve your splits in just 3 weeks? 👀

We’re challenging our Diane Bradbury dancers to work on their flexibility and see how much progress they can make!

And remember… this isn’t about being able to do the splits straight away. It’s about getting a little bit closer than you were before. 💪✨

WEEK 1 STRETCH: THE HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

This is a great stretch for the front of your hip and thigh – the part of your body that needs to open up when you’re working towards your front splits.

Here’s how to do it:

🧘‍♀️ Kneel on one knee.

🦶 Put your other foot flat on the floor in front of you.

⬆️ Keep your body tall – imagine someone is pulling you upwards from the top of your head!

➡️ Gently move your hips forwards.

You should feel a gentle stretch down the front of the leg that’s kneeling.

Hold for:

20–30 seconds

Then swap legs and repeat.

👉 Try 2 times on each side.

⭐ IMPORTANT!

A stretch should feel like a pull or gentle stretch – NOT pain.

Don’t bounce, don’t force yourself lower and don’t try to push through pain.

And always warm your body up first! ❤️

📸 YOUR CHALLENGE

Take a photo of your starting position this week.

It doesn’t matter if you’re miles away from the floor!

This is YOUR starting point.

Keep your photo somewhere safe and we’ll see where you are next week and then at the end of 3 weeks! 👀

Who’s joining the challenge?

Tag us or send us your progress from the start of the week to the end of the week – we’d LOVE to see it! ❤️🖤

🚨 LAST CHANCE TO BOOK! 🚨

Summer School starts next week and this is your final opportunity to join us! 🎭✨

Our full-week places have now SOLD OUT, but there’s still time to book a one-off full day and experience the fun!

📅 Monday 27th July
📅 Tuesday 28th July
📅 Wednesday 29th July
🕙 10.00am – 4.00pm
👧🧑 Ages 5–18 years

Spend the day singing, dancing, acting, making new friends and building confidence with our fantastic team of industry professionals.

⭐ Or why not book one of our special West End Workshops with Ashley Stillburn?

💚 Wicked Workshop
📅 Wednesday 29th July
🕙 10.00am–12.30pm
👧 Ages 5–12

❤️ Les Misérables Workshop
📅 Wednesday 29th July
🕐 1.15pm–4.00pm
🧑 Ages 13–18

Whether you’re already a Chesterfield Studios or Diane Bradbury Dance student, or you’ve never stepped through our doors before, everyone is welcome!

⏰ Places are now very limited and once they’re gone, they’re gone!

🎟️ Book your place today via the link in our bio/stories or click and paste the below:

http://www.bookwhen.com/chesterfieldstudios

Tag a friend who’d love to spend a day on stage with you! 🎭✨

❤️ Les Misérables Themed Musical Theatre Workshop

With West End Performer Ashley Stillburn

📅 Wednesday 29th July 2026
🕐 1.15pm–4.00pm
🧑 Ages 13–18 years
💷 £30 per workshop

Experience the power and emotion of Les Misérables in this inspiring Musical Theatre Workshop with West End performer Ashley Stillburn!

Designed for older performers, this workshop will explore the storytelling, characters and musical style of one of the world’s most iconic musicals. Students will work on singing, acting and performance techniques, developing confidence, characterisation and the skills needed to bring a musical number to life.

No need to be a member of Chesterfield Studios or Disney Bradbury Dance - anyone can book this workshop.

An unmissable opportunity for young performers aged 13–18 to train with a professional West End performer and immerse themselves in the drama and emotion of Les Misérables.

Book via the 🔗 link in Bio or on Stories or copy and paste the below…
http://www.bookwhen.com/chesterfieldstudios

💚 Wicked Themed Musical Theatre Workshop

With West End Performer Ashley Stillburn

📅 Wednesday 29th July 2026
🕙 10.00am–12.30pm
👧 Ages 5–12 years
💷 £30 per workshop

Step into the magical world of Wicked in this exciting Musical Theatre Workshop with West End performer Ashley Stillburn!

Young performers will explore the songs, characters and storytelling from this much-loved musical, developing their skills in singing, acting and performance. Through fun and engaging activities, students will build confidence, creativity and stage presence while learning from an experienced professional performer.

This workshop is part of Chesterfield Studios Summer School 2026, but you don’t need to attend the full week to take part — this session can be booked as a standalone workshop!

You don’t have to be a member of Diane Bradbury Dance or Chesterfield Studios to attend this, anyone can book!

A fantastic opportunity for young performers who love musical theatre and want to experience the magic of Wicked!

Book via the 🔗 link in Bio or Story or copy and paste the below…

http://www.bookwhen.com/chesterfieldstudios

🎭 SUMMER SCHOOL UPDATE! 🎭

✨ Our FULL WEEK Summer School is now SOLD OUT! ✨

A huge thank you to everyone who has booked – we can’t wait for an incredible week! ❤️

But don’t worry if you missed out…

🎉 We still have a limited number of spaces available for our ONE-OFF DAY BOOKINGS!

📅 Monday 27th July
📅 Tuesday 28th July
📅 Wednesday 29th July
🕙 10.00am – 4.00pm
👧🧑 Ages 5–18 years

Whether your child loves singing, dancing, acting or wants to build confidence, make new friends and have an unforgettable day, our Summer School is the perfect way to spend part of the holidays.

⭐ Open to everyone – you don’t have to be a Chesterfield Studios student to attend!

⏰ Places are limited and they’re booking quickly, so don’t leave it too late!

🎟️ Book your one-off day now via the link in our bio,or copy and paste the link below, before the remaining places are gone!

Http://www.bookwhen.com/chesterfieldstudios

❤️ A Huge Thank You to Our Amazing Student Helpers! ❤️

As another wonderful year comes to an end, we’d like to take a moment to recognise and thank our incredible student helpers who have given up their Saturday mornings to support our younger dancers.

A very special thank you and goodbye to Chloe and Jasmine, who have been fantastic role models, always ready with a smile, words of encouragement and a helping hand. Also to Aaliyah who was helping up until the dance show in May, thank you and goodbye also.

We’d also like to say thank you to our wonderful student helpers who will be returning next term – Ruby, Lily and Erin. We really appreciate the time, energy and care you give every week, helping our youngest dancers grow in confidence and enjoy their classes.

Thank you all for everything you do – we couldn’t do it without you! ❤️

🎭✨ WEST END WORKSHOPS WITH ASHLEY STILLBURN! ✨🎭

We’re thrilled to welcome Ashley Stillburn to Chesterfield Studios for TWO incredible Musical Theatre Workshops this Summer!

These exciting workshops form part of our Summer School 2026, but the best part is... you don’t have to attend the whole week! Each workshop can be booked individually, making them the perfect opportunity to train with a fantastic West End performer.

💚 WICKED THEMED WORKSHOP
📅 Wednesday 29th July
🕙 10.00am–12.30pm
👧 Ages 5–12 years

❤️ LES MISÉRABLES THEMED WORKSHOP
📅 Wednesday 29th July
🕐 1.15pm–4.00pm
🧑 Ages 13–18 years

💷 £30 per workshop

Whether you’re a fan of the magic of Wicked or the epic storytelling of Les Misérables, these workshops promise an inspiring session of singing, acting and performance skills with Ashley.

🎟️ Spaces are limited!
Book your place today via Bookwhen, link in Bio or on Story or copy and paste the below:
🔗 http://www.bookwhen.com/chesterfieldstudios

Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to learn from an experienced musical theatre professional and take your performance skills to the next level! 🌟