When ALS took away Breanna Olson’s ability to move her body, it threatened to erase something far deeper: her identity as a dancer. Years of training, muscle memory, artistry—all of it locked away by a disease that paralyzes the nervous system. But in December at the OBA Theater in Amsterdam, Olson found a way back onto the stage.
The vehicle was a mixed-reality avatar, controlled not by her hands or feet, but by her thoughts. Dentsu Lab, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Dentsu, partnered with data tech firm NTT to develop a brain interface system using an electroencephalogram headset that captures Olson’s brain activity and translates electrical signals into precise dance movements. Olson imagines a motion—envisions every detail with intense focus and concentration—and the interface converts that mental image into computer instructions. Her avatar executes what her body no longer can.
The“Waves of Will”project was designed exactly for this purpose: to restore personal expression and artistic identity to people living with disabilities. For Olson, the results were nothing short of transformative.“I never dreamed that I would be able to dance on stage again,”she said.“It was just a beautiful and memorable moment I will remember for the rest of my life.”
What makes this moment resonate beyond the individual triumph is what it signals about where technology is heading. This wasn’t a gimmick or a one-off stunt—Dentsu Lab calls it the first performance of its kind anywhere in the world. The technology required Olson to summon years of training and muscle memory from her mind alone, translating pure intention into movement. Her avatar moved with the precision of a trained dancer because Olson’s decades of disciplined practice were still there, just waiting for a new interface.
ALS is fatal and incurable, a disease that progressively weakens the nerves, brain, and spinal cord, eventually affecting speech, breathing, and swallowing. But on that Amsterdam stage, Olson proved that the essence of who we are—our creativity, our artistry, our will to express ourselves—exists independent of physical limitation. Technology gave her the bridge. Her own brilliance did the rest.
This is what happens when innovation meets human resilience with genuine empathy for what’s been lost.
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
