A ballerina diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) has returned to the spotlight, performing live through a digital avatar controlled by her brainwaves.
Breanna Olson, a mother of three from Tacoma, Washington, who has trained in dance since childhood, received her ALS diagnosis two and a half years ago. ALS, the most common form of motor neurone disease, progressively weakens muscles, affecting movement, speech, and breathing. For Olson, this meant the heartbreaking loss of her ability to dance physically.
However, in a groundbreaking performance at Amsterdam's OBA Theatre in December, Olson guided a mixed-reality avatar on stage using only her neural signals. She wore an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset developed by Dentsu Lab in collaboration with NTT, which captured her brain activity as she imagined specific dance movements. A brain-computer interface translated these signals into real-time instructions for her digital counterpart.
"I never dreamed that I would be able to dance on stage again," Olson told reporters. "It was exhilarating and magical. To be able to move in a new way is just freeing. It was a beautiful and memorable moment I will remember for the rest of my life."
The performance, part of the 'Waves of Will' project, received a standing ovation. Olson described the experience as "incredible" and a powerful restoration of personal expression, something her condition had eroded.
"You have to isolate your muscles and the noise around you and really focus inward," she explained, noting the technology was "unique" but "quite challenging." "This is a new way of expression."
The project aims to explore how innovation can help restore identity and participation for people living with motor-degenerative diseases. Naoki Tanaka, Chief Creative Officer at Dentsu Lab, emphasized the goal of accessibility: "There are many brainwave technologies and research all over the world, but most are very expensive and not accessible to everyone. This is exactly why we started Waves of Will—to make a new brainwave interface."
Mariko Nakamura of NTT suggested the technology could eventually be adapted for other devices like wheelchairs or remote controls, broadening its potential impact.
Olson hopes her story offers hope to others with disabilities, challenging perceptions. "I want to help give others with ALS hope," she said. "We can do more than we think we can. I hope people view us less as sick people or that something is wrong with us, but more like we have value and talents and wisdom."
The performance represents a significant step in the broader landscape of assistive technology, where scientists are developing solutions to help individuals with physical or mental challenges engage in hobbies and social environments. It follows other innovations, such as AI voice tools for those who have lost speech and brain-computer interfaces for gaming, highlighting a growing frontier in medical and technological collaboration.