Malin Thoors

Malin Thoors was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and began her ballet training there at the age of seven.  A year later, she was selected for the Royal Swedish Ballet School and subsequently joined the Royal Swedish Ballet.  She worked closely with prominent choreographers such as Cullberg, Kylián, van Manen, MacMillan, Tetley and Skeaping and also danced ballets by acclaimed choreographers such as Ashton, Balanchine, Bournonville, Cranko, Fokine, Limon, and Robbins.

Parallel to her dance career, Thoors grew a strong desire for studying and restaging choreographic works.  She moved to London where she studied Benesh Dance Notation and techniques in teaching and rehearsing under the tutelage of Monica Parker.  On her recommendation, Thoors was invited to The Royal Ballet in London, where she worked with choreographer and principal dancer Wayne Eagling and rehearsed eminent dancers such as Lesley Collier, Anthony Dowell, Stephen Jefferies and Jonathan Cope.

With her new path carved out, Thoors was requested by the Dutch National Ballet to work with former dancers from George Balanchine’s most glorious years.  She worked with Karin von Aroldingen, Bart Cook, Sean Lavery, Patricia Neary, and Richard Tanner, to name a few, and since this time Thoors is authorized by the George Balanchine Trust to restage his ballets.

In Amsterdam, she also worked on choreographies by Ashton, van Dantzig, Eagling, Graham, van Manen, Massine, Page, van Schayk and Wright.  Here, Thoors met Tatiana Leskova from the legendary Ballets Russes, with whom she still works on the reconstruction of Léonide Massine’s lost symphonic ballets.

Thoors’ interest in restaging Frederick Ashton’s works was triggered by working directly with Michael Somes and Wendy Ellis Somes on his Cinderella.  From Ashton’s repertoire she has also worked on Symphonic Variations, La Fille mal gardée, The Dream and Scènes de Ballet.

In the year 2000, Thoors was invited to work with the Paris Opera Ballet on George Balanchine’s Jewels, the success of which led Brigitte Lefèvre, the company’s artistic director, to appoint her Ballet Master.  For the Paris Opera Thoors has worked on productions by choreographers such as Ashton, Balanchine, Patrice Bart, Carlson, Duato, Lacotte, Lifar, McGregor, Millepied, Neumeier, Nureyev and Ratmansky.

Still based in Paris she also continues a flourishing career freelancing with leading ballet companies in the world.