Jüri Nael is a leading professor of contemporary performance at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, where he is running the international Master of Arts program in Contemporary Physical Performance Making (CPPM) and teaching movement and physical performance to BA Acting students.
Professor Nael’s academic background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Choreography from the Viljandi Culture Academy. He holds an MA in European Dance Theatre Practice from Trinity Laban in London, an MA in Text and Performance Studies from King’s College London, an MA in Theatre Studies from the University of Amsterdam, and an MA in International Performance Research from the University of Warwick.
Professor Nael’s interests are broad and diverse, with a focus on the psychophysical training of performers and actors in the context of higher education. As a visiting professor, he is teaching at many renowned institutions around the world, including the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Royal Central School for Speech and Drama (RCSSD) in London, Jacksonville University in Florida, USA, and the University of Tampere in Finland.
As a choreographer and movement director, he has worked on over 100 international productions in some of the most prestigious theatres in Europe, including Burg Theatre in Austria, Thalia Theatre in Germany, the Royal Shakespeare Company in the UK, Bolshoi Drama Theatre in Russia, Helsinki City Theatre in Finland, Theatre NO99 in Estonia, and Kaunas State Music Theatre in Lithuania.