After training with Monique Le Dilly, René Bon, Daniel Franck, Gilbert Mayer and Raymond Franchetti,Thierry Malandain pursued his career as a dancer with the Opéra de Paris (Violette Verdy), the Ballet du Rhin (Jean Sarelli) and the Ballet Théâtre Français de Nancy (Jean-Albert Cartier, Hélène Traïline)

The laureate of several choreographic competitions (Violine Prize in 1984, the Concours international de Nyon Prize in 1984 and 1985) he ended his career as a dancer in 1986 in order to set up the Compagnie Temps Présent. It was first based in Elancourt in the Yvelines departement, then in Saint-Etienne, as an “Associate Company”, at the Esplanade Saint-Etienne Opéra. During his twelve years at the head of the Company, his work was recognized through the Prize of the Fondation de la Vocation, the Prize of the Fondation de France, the Prize of the Fondation Oulmont and the Prize “New Talent of the SACD.

In 1998, Madame Catherine Trautman, Minister of Culture, appointed him as the director of the Centre Chorégraphique National - Ballet Biarritz.

Thierry Malandain is the author of about sixty choregraphies, many of which are in the repertoire of other companies : Ballet de l’Opéra national de Lettonie, Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris, Academy for Performing Arts de Hong Kong, Sadamatsu Hamada Ballet Company, Ballet Florida, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, Ballet Contemporaneo de Caracas, Ballet de l’Opéra du Caire, Ballet Royal de Flandres, Ballet Royal de Wallonie, Ballet de Genève, Ballet du San Carlo de Naples, Ballet national de Bordeaux, Ballet du Rhin, Ballet du Nord, Ballet national de Nancy, Ballet de l'Opéra d’Avignon, Ballet de Nantes, Ballet de Nice, Euro Ballet du Luxembourg, Ballet du Staatstheater de Karlsruhe, Ballet national Tunisien, Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse, Europa Danse, Ballet Junior de Genève, Ecole du Ballet Royal des Flandres, CNSM de Lyon, CNSM de Paris, Jeune Ballet du Québec, Jeune Ballet International de Cannes.

He also ventured significantly into the field of opera, in collaborative work with Robert Fortune (Cendrillon, Orphée aux Enfers,Candide), Peter Busse (Capriccio), Alberto Fassini (Aïda), Jean-Louis Pichon (Richard Coeur de Lion, Hérodiade), Frédéric Pineau (La Poule Noire).

A Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, he was in charge of the artistic management of the Biarritz International Dance Festival «  Le Temps d’Aimer” from 2000 to 2004. In 2004 he was nominated for the “Benois de la Danse” at the Bolchoï theatre in Moscow and was awarded the Prize of the Critics in Cuba, for the best foreign performance at the 19th International Ballet Festival in Havana.
In 2005, he was awarded the Cultural Prize of the Foundation Sabino Arana for Ballet Biarritz in Bilbao.