Magda Thielemans (1964, Leuven-Belgium) started dancing at the Leuven Conservatoire at the age of 8. In 1984 she graduated from the Hoger Instituut voor Dans (present Dance Department of the Antwerp Royal Conservatoire, AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts / degree in Contemporary Dance and Education).
In addition to working as a dancer and a teacher, Magda Thielemans has been developing physical awareness programmes for singers and actors.
The Thielemans Physical Artistic Awareness Method (LAB MT) is implemented to help students familiarize themselves with their body and to train them in using it well, with the double aim of reaching their artistic goals and building healthy, long-lasting careers. LAB MT also focusses on the body’s spatial impact and its relation to co-players. Simultaneously, research is being conducted into the development of a sharing platform for future (teaching) artists.
In 2008, Thielemans teamed up with physiotherapist Anne Schütt and associate professor Nathalie Roussel in a research project, developing an injury prevention training for musicians playing an instrument. As part of the CORPoREAL research-group, Magda Thielemans co-launched Resilient Artist, a research programme on mental pressure and coping strategies for artists (with the department of Applied Psychology of the AP University).
Thielemans is currently teaching and coordinating the physical awareness and movement training programme at the drama and music department of the Antwerp Royal Conservatoire. She is artistic coordinator of the educational dance programmes at the same institute.
She regularly hosts pedagogical workshops and masterclasses and was a guest teacher at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. At the International Opera Academy (Ghent-Belgium) she supported professional singers in their physical and expressive development through classes and workshops.
Function: student counselor, coordination educational dance programmes, researcher, Practice lecturer movement courses Drama and Music