Great Leap’s Mission

Great Leap Executive & Artistic Director

(she/they/siya/DeLa) is a senior artivist leader, facilitator, cultural organizer, multi-disciplinary theatre artist, educator, and contemporary ritualist.  They have collaborated with local artists and produced community events of all sizes, developing Los Angeles’ world class cultural ecosystem for over 25 years.

De La Cruz served as Executive Producer of the Broadway musical ALLEGIANCE (LA Premiere, 2018) followed by the world premiere of TALES OF CLAMOR (2019). Their directing credits include the world premieres of Nathan Ramos’ AS WE BABBLE ON (2018) and Post Natyam Collective’s SUPER RUWAXI (2014). DeLa is an Adjunct Lecturer for the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts where they directed the world premiere of Marilyn Schotland’s SOMEWHERE SOMEONE IS TRAVELING FURIOUSLY TOWARDS YOU (2024). De La Cruz has led at the intersections of dramaturgy, adaptation, youth development, generative processes, community organizing, dialogue, workforce investment and playwriting on over 10 Youth Arts productions by Shakespeare Center Los Angeles, About Productions and East West Players.

De La Cruz has over 30 years of experience facilitating circles and spaces for youth, strangers, neighbors, friends, colleagues, and collaborators to explore diverse communities and break down bias and systemic inequity. De La Cruz is part of the shared leadership cohort for the Network of Ensemble Theaters and co-lead the team that facilitated and launched the Vallejo Arts Fund.  

Associate Artistic Director and Project Director of the Manzanar Baseball Project

Dan is an award-winning multimedia performance artist, playwright, visual artist, and teacher who has been presenting his solo work nationally and internationally since 1989.

Dan’s work is known for deeply personal narratives that explore themes of identity, culture, and belonging. Through his performances, Kwong has challenged stereotypes and shed light on the complexity of the Asian American experience.

His works combine personal narrative with historical context to explore the many facets of social identity. His book, From Inner Worlds to Outer Space: The Multimedia Performances of Dan Kwong (University of Michigan Press) was published in 2004, and the significance of his work has been noted in A History of Asian American Theatre (Cambridge Univ. Press).

Since 1990 he has been affiliated with Great Leap where he manages and performs in A Slice of Rice, Frijoles and Greens, is Project Director of COLLABORATORY, and Director & Editor of the Eco-Vids series.

In addition to his career as an artist and activist, Dan has played baseball in the Nisei Athletic

Union (N.A.U.) Japanese American baseball leagues of California since 1971. His 52-years-and-counting with the Li'l Tokio Giants is considered the longest career in N.A.U. baseball history. 

In 2023, Dan launched the Manzanar Baseball Project.

Founder, Legacy Artist in Residence

“I grew up never hearing a song that sang me.”  -Nobuko Miyamoto

A veteran of both Broadway and the protest line, Nobuko Miyamoto is an icon of Asian American music and activism. Growing up in the 1940s as a third-generation Japanese American "without a song of my own," she found her voice in the 1960s revolutionary movements. In 1973, she co-created the seminal album A Grain of Sand (Paredon), regarded as the first album of Asian American songs. With neither guideposts nor role models, Nobuko improvised her artistic path as a songwriter, dancer, and theater artist. Across five decades, she forged a creative practice that thrives on community and collaboration, continuing today with a fire for justice.

Filmmakers Tadashi Nakamura and Quyên Nguyen-Le deftly explore Nobuko  Miyamoto’s life and career in the new documentary NOBUKO MIYAMOTO: A SONG IN MOVEMENT.  The film has been screening at Festivals around the country and will premiere on PBS SoCal’s ARTBOUND on November  1, 2024 through the PBS Passport. Find a screening near you HERE

Her 2021 Smithsonian Folkways album, 120,000 Stories compiles Nobuko's past and present work. Produced by Quetzal Flores and Derek Nakamoto, the double album features artists from diverse musical traditions who share her commitment to the social power of music. Among those who contributed are taiko master taiko Kenny Endo, harmonica player Tex Nakamura, multi-instrumentalist Abe Lagrimas Jr., saxophonist Gerald Albright, and members of the GRAMMY-winning band Quetzal. Now entering her eighth decade, Nobuko Miyamoto is unstoppable. Her memoir Not Yo' Butterfly: My Long Song of Relocation, Race, Love, and Revolution was published by the University of California Press in June 2021.

Administration and Operations Coordinator 

Suilma was born and raised in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, a neighborhood shaped by Asian and Hispanic working-class—a heritage that continues to inform her creative and community work. Her artistic journey began at 17, when she landed a lead role in the Disney Channel original film Gotta Kick It Up! after joining a friend at a local open casting call.

She went on to build a career in independent film, improv theatre, and commercial acting, all while nurturing a long-standing interest in the filmmaking process. Among her behind-the-scenes work, she produced the award-winning feature Love in Moreno Valley, which screened at festivals across the country, and continues to enjoy editing content on a freelance basis.

In addition to her creative pursuits, Suilma has long been dedicated to community work. She has served for over a decade on the Board of the Lincoln Heights Tutorial Program (LHTP), where she was once a participant. At Great Leap, she continues to merge her passions for the arts, community, and social justice.