Accessibility 101: Flexibility Assignment

Overview

This assignment will help you to develop and maintain your flexibility, an important part of your physical fitness and a benefit to your quality of life.  For this assignment, you will need to leap up in the air and touch your toes, performing an advanced ballet movement known as the  grand jete shown in the figure below (note: ballet slippers and tutu are optional).  

Part 1: Preparation

Study the Mechanics of the Movement

Before attempting this movement, you will want to prepare by reading more detailed instructions on how to perform the grand jete.  Here are some resources to consider:
How to Do Ballet Jete Splits (link to http://www.fitforafeast.com/dance_lessons_jete-dance-move-how-to-split-jumps.htm)
How to Do a Grand Jete in Ballet (link to http://www.ehow.com/how_4524100_do-grand-jete-ballet.html)

Perform the Required Physical Conditioning

The grand jete is an advanced ballet movement. Unless you are already a highly trained dancer, you need to work up to achieving a full midair split by performing several conditioning exercises to develop your flexibility prior to the leap.  Here are some considerations:

Increase your flexibility. A greater range of motion will allow for more split in the legs. Stretch when you are warm and be sure to work on the hip flexors (the muscles in front of the hip that lengthen when your leg is extended behind) as well as the inner thigh, and hamstrings.

Increase the strength in your hamstrings and gluts. Many leapers have trouble getting the back leg to lift in a grand jeté. The muscles down the back of the leg (hip extensors) have to fire strongly and quickly for an explosive leap. Practicing tendu jeté (dégagé) and grand battement to the back with a sharp accent may help with this firing action.

Work on core strength and alignment. This allows the body to move through the air in one piece so that energy can be directed to powering the leap and not holding things together.
Part 2: Recording Your Midair Leap

Equipment and Setup
You may use any video camera device capable of shooting video in a digital video format. Camcorders, smartphones, and other mobile devices are perfectly acceptable. You do not need to introduce your video. Shoot the video from a fixed position that will show you facing the camera. The video should be no longer than 5 minutes.

YouTube Upload Instructions

You will need to upload your video to YouTube as an "unlisted video" and include the unlisted video link in the text of your assignment submission. 

Please consult YouTube's “Guide to Creating an Unlisted Video” (link to http://support.google.com/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=181547&topic=16647&ctx=topic) for instructions on uploading your unlisted teaching video.

Follow the "Submission Instructions" below to submit the link to your video.

Submission Instructions

* Submission: Click on the "Add a new discussion topic" button below. Type or paste in the link to your video.
* Replies: Click on the "Reply" link on the posts to which you want to reply.  Comment on at least two of your peers’ videos.  

Grading Criteria

Your toe-touching will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

* Avoid bending of the knees.
* Arms should be fully extended.
* Smile like you are really enjoying this exercise.
* Points will be deducted for groaning, grimacing, or wincing in pain.

Grading Scale
A . . . 90-100 points . . . You’re ready to give Nureyev a run for the money!
B . . . 80-89 points  . . . . Very good flexibility; you can still bend with the best of ‘em.
C . . . 70-79 points . . . .  Passable, ok for chasing your children around now and then.
D . . . 60-69 points . . . .  OK, I won’t tell anyone.
F . . .  0-59 points . . . . .  Get thee to a gym!