In celebration of International Workers' Day this year, Flying Leap Productions had the honor of collaborating with SEIU (Service Employees International Union) on a vibrant, community-centered project for May Day Rallies in Chicago and Seattle. Our team was commissioned to lead workshops and build large-scale puppets that would march alongside workers, activists, and community members, bringing artistic expression to these powerful demonstrations of solidarity.
We're thrilled to introduce the remarkable production team who made this collaboration possible, each bringing their own expertise in production, design, and leadership to support this important work.
The Production Team
Adriana Tapia Gomez
Adri Tapia-Gomez, a Mexico City native, is an artist, producer, and dancer based in Seattle, Washington. Throughout 15 years of classical training, she has performed in Miami and the greater Seattle area in productions such as The Nutcracker, La Bayadère, and Les Sylphides, amongst others. In 2021 her training shifted to new styles such as afro dance, jazz, funk, and hip hop. Since then, she has focused mainly on amapiano dance and has traveled to New York, Portland, Dallas, Ghana, and South Africa to further her training in various afro styles. She attended The George Washington University where she obtained her bachelor of arts in political science and French literature, language, and culture.
Adri believes in liberation through arts education in which she encourages people to show up fully and authentically, using dance as a tool for self-expression and connection. She currently works as an artist mentor and teaching artist for Arts Impact and Arts Corps, bringing arts infused learning to schools throughout Washington, as operations manager for Afro Dance Seattle, and as an event producer for a variety of arts organizations within the Seattle area.
Kim Thai
Kim Thai (she/her) is an interdisciplinary mindfulness writer and teacher. As an Emmy-award storyteller and a proud Queer kid of Vietnamese refugees, she has uplifted marginalized voices across different mediums for almost 20 years. Her personal essays on identity, healing and social justice have been published in New York Magazine's The Cut, Newsweek, Buzzfeed and more. She is a certified yoga and meditation teacher and currently a student in Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh's Plum Village Buddhist tradition, exploring how we can liberate ourselves from oppressive systems and release embodied trauma through mindfulness. She is currently working on a memoir/mindfulness book on how to reclaim power and joy in the world regardless of what identities you hold. You can follow her work by subscribing to her mindfulness newsletter Just One Breath, where she invites us to see how every moment is an opportunity to transform the world around us.
Corey Janus
Corey Janus is a creative producer, director, and interspiritual minister devoted to the power of story. With a track record in award-winning documentaries, reality TV, digital, and branded content, Corey transforms bold ideas into resonant, high-impact productions. Across every medium, Corey's mission is to spark meaningful connection—through story, play, and soulful expression—igniting deeper truth, curiosity, and human connection.
Lucy Wirtz
Lucy is so excited to get involved with Flying Leap! She is hoping to bring what she has learned through stage managing during her time at UCLA and beyond as well as skills developed working with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and other companies in the Chicagoland area. When she's not working, she enjoys doing improv, cooking, listening to records, and playing mahjong.
With Gratitude
Flying Leap Productions extends our deepest thanks to this extraordinary team of artists whose creativity, skill, and dedication brought our May Day collaboration with SEIU to life. Their contributions not only resulted in towering puppets that captured attention at the rallies, but also facilitated meaningful engagement with union members and the broader community.
The integration of art and activism has long been a powerful force for social change, and we're proud to have worked with this production team who understand the importance of visual storytelling in movements for worker justice. We look forward to future collaborations that continue to bridge art and advocacy, creating work that resonates with communities and supports movements for positive change.