Thierry Malandain

Thierry Malandain was born in 1959 in Petit-Quevilly, France, and received his ballet training from teachers such as Jacques Chaurand, Monique Le Dily, and Raymond Franchetti. After engagements with the Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris (1977-1978) and the Ballet du Rhin (1978-1980), he quickly made a name for himself as a choreographer. In 1986, he founded the Compagnie Temps Présent and began to establish himself as an innovative artist in the French dance scene. In 1997, he was given the opportunity by the city of Biarritz to create the Centre Chorégraphique National – Ballet Biarritz, which opened in 1998. He continues to create significant works here and promote the company’s international presence. Malandain has worked with leading orchestras and dance companies worldwide. In addition to two nominations for the Benois de la Danse, he received the Prix de la Critique at the 19^th Ballet Festival in Cuba in 2004, the Prix Culture from the Sabino Arana Foundation in Bilbao in 2005, and the Grand Prix de la danse du Syndicat de la critique in France in 2012. At the Taglioni European Ballet Award in 2014, Thierry Malandain was awarded “Best Choreographer” for Cendrillon. This ballet celebrated its premiere at the Vienna Volksoper in 2016, where his works Mozart à 2 and Don Juan were also performed in 2014. Marie Antoinette – to be premiered by the Malandain Ballet Biarritz at the Opéra Royal du château de Versailles in 2019 – will add another full-length work by Malandain to the repertoire of the Vienna State Ballet at the Vienna Volksoper in 2025.