Although ESPN Sport Science segments typically explore and measure the science behind sports teams, players and plays, their latest segments will focus on something a little different: a Broadway musical. ESS recently paid a visit to Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway for a day and used an EEG machine to measure cast members’ brain activity, a biometric harness to track the body’s changes during a performance and motion capture suits to see how they activate mechanically. Then, they took this information back to their lab and compared the new information to recorded athlete data.
The first of three episodes (which can be viewed above) tested cast member India Bolds as she goes through an entire show. She portrays nine different characters and makes 14 costume changes. Bolds, it turns out, covers more distance during the show (2.68 miles) than NBA star Steph Curry’s average mileage recorded in a game during the 2015-2016 season (2.44 miles).
Producer Denny Wolfe shared these synopses of upcoming Sports Science segments regarding The Lion King project.
- Biomechanics (11/14): “We analyzed dancers and compared their power and agility to some of the best athletes in the world. As one of the Lionesses, actress Bravita Threatt needs to maintain perfect balance during the dances. To do that, she extends her right femur 30 percent higher than the average human can raise a leg. Lamar Baylor can get his feet to reach speeds of 22 miles per hour on stage, and his pirouettes move 35 percent faster than the spin move of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. Ray Mercer generates nearly 900 pounds of force on tumbling runs, which is the same force Los Angeles Clippers all-star Blake Griffin uses to get airborne for a dunk.
- Puppetry/Multi-tasking (12/12): “To determine the level of multi-tasking needed to recite their lines and operate the character’s puppet, we wired Cameron Pow – who plays Zazu – and Lisa Lewis – who portrays a cheetah – with an EEG device to measure their brain activity as they perform. Much like an elite athlete who becomes skilled with repeated practice, we determined that Cameron and Lisa’s brains view their puppets as extensions of their body.”