Keerati Jinakunwiphat ’16 Wins Princess Grace Award
The Award recognizes the impact of her choreography.
Update: Aug 17, 2023
Q+A with Keerati
Dance Magazine asked Jinakunwiphat insightful questions in a recent Dancer Spotlight Q+A. She talks about a pivotal class at Purchase with Doug Varone ’78:
“I never thought of choreographing until I was introduced to composition class in college with Doug Varone…
“Doug has this approach of going with your instincts, which makes choreographing really playful, and he taught me that there was so much inside of my head and my body already.”
Career Leap
The Princess Grace Foundation recently recognized Keerati Jinakunwiphat ’16 with a 2023 Princess Grace Award for Choreography.
Jinakunwiphat made history in 2023 as the first Asian American woman to choreograph for the New York City Ballet with “Fortuitous Ash,” her first work for a ballet company.
Since 2016, Jinakunwiphat has been with A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham. Kyle Abraham ’00 nominated her for the award.
Appearing on the cover of Dance Magazine as “25 to Watch” in 2021, she garnered attention for Big Rings, her first commission for A.I.M.
“As a dancer, Jinakunwiphat deftly captures Abraham’s signature vocabulary—limbs sweeping and slicing through the air—while bringing her own steady gaze and distinctive presence.
“Big Rings illustrated her attention as a choreographer to nuance in shaping group dynamics, as well as a knack for creating a fully articulated world onstage.”
—Dance Magazine
A Tradition of Excellence
She’s the third from Purchase to be awarded the Princess Grace Award for Choreography, after Kyle Abraham ’00 in 2010 and Rena Butler ’11 in 2019.
