Keerati Jinakunwiphat’s First Evening-Length Commission Is Inspired by Her Family’s Thai Restaurant

A hectic restaurant kitchen might not seem like an obvious setting for a dance work. But choreographer­ Keerati Jinakunwiphat disagrees­. Of Dishes and Dreams will premiere at Baryshnikov­ Arts from October 16–18, inspired by her experiences growing up in her family’s Thai restaurant in Chicago. The buzzy young dancemaker has previously created work for major companies like New York City Ballet and A.I.M by Kyle Abraham. But this is her first evening-length piece, as well as the first professional commission that she’s producing on her own with a handpicked cast and creative team. 

How did this commission come about? 

In 2024, I was Baryshnikov Arts’ spring resident artist for two weeks. I showed a little of what I was working on, and then Sonja [Kostich] and Misha [Baryshnikov] followed up, intrigued about what this piece could be. 

Where did the idea come from?

Of Dishes and Dreams is inspired by my childhood—I was the kid at the Thai restaurant sitting at a table on the side doing homework. So I wanted to bring light to the beauty and the chaos of how kitchens are organized, especially because I love group work. It’s kind of a well-structured dance in a way. 

Tell me a little more about your family’s restaurant.

It’s been around for at least 35 years. My grandma owned it back in the day. And both my parents are still head chefs there; my aunt works there as well. My grandma is pretty long retired, but she still goes every day—sometimes she preps things, sometimes she just watches YouTube. You know, working all the time is definitely a common immigrant trait. I’m a proud child of immigrants, so with this piece, I just want to highlight their story and how much vibrancy they bring to America.

How do you think growing up as a “restaurant kid” shaped you as an artist? 

I learned a lot about how people work together. I learned to be near chaos. But also, sometimes in the boredom of sitting there, I feel like I was able to tap into my imagination—I remember building things with cans and boxes and things with my sister.

How are you exploring the kitchen through dance? 

I have a section right now I call “Service,” and when I was making it, I was thinking about the layout of my family’s restaurant. I was like, Okay, this area is noodles, rice, and we made a structure from there. Everyone goes to a certain place and does this phrase there. So it gives me an interesting format to play off of. And for the score, I’ve actually recorded a lot of sounds straight from my family’s kitchen.

What’s it been like being fully in charge with this piece rather than making work for another company? 

It makes me think of my dad because he’s always saying, you know, managing is hard because you’re dealing with people, right? Making sure everyone’s taken care of, respected, and heard. My mom and my dad are really great in that way at the restaurant, so I’m trying to work in a similar way. 

How does your family feel about you creating a dance work about this? 

I actually am not quite sure if they really know. They know I have a show, and they’re planning on coming. But my dad’s like, “I don’t really know dance—I don’t really get it.” But I’m like, “You might get this one.”