Characters of the Village

Lisa Pilato  Co-Founder of Loco-Motion Dance Theater

By Joy and Brian Pape

Many of Lisa’s students have been in her program for years. This older group works harmoniously with Lisa and the other teachers. Credit: Brian Pape, AIA.

Our friend Elissa (Village View’s Character of the Village April 2023) suggested we meet Lisa Pilato, artistic director and co-founder of Loco-Motion Dance Theatre.
She teaches classes and workshops in Modern Dance, Choreography, Dance and Theater Improvisation and Art Activism for children and teenagers. “I do this along with my incredible co-teacher, Denise Dalfo and in collaboration with our managing director, Susie Page,” said Pilato. The inspiration was to create a safe space for children to utilize dance and theater as a medium to grow as critical thinkers and to reach beyond the self into a broader world of understanding and compassion. It was created as an arena for children to raise their voices, to form artistic relationships and implement their own personal and collective visions through their choreography.”
Visiting the Loco-Motion classes was a mind-blowing experience for these writers. First, we listened as a group of 3rd or 4th graders explained what the theme for their next dance performance means to them (each could pick a literary character to portray). We were impressed by their ability to verbalize their choices. Then a group of 12 teenagers gathered around to tell us what Loco-Motion means to them. They affirmed each of the goals Lisa had described, how it had positively affected their lives and how grateful they were for that experience.
VV: Where did it start?
LP: The seeds for Loco-Motion were planted at Crunch Fitness (gym) in 1988, then located on Charles Street in the West Village. My dear friend Vera Wagman, a brilliant producer, director and choreographer, connected me to Crunch’s owner who was looking to start a children’s fitness program. I didn’t really stick to that curriculum for more than a day. I switched out the exercise classes for dance and theater classes and, before long, there were 50 kids making magic (loudly) at that gym. Many of my first young artists stayed with me from kindergarten until they graduated high school. I fell head over heels in love with teaching and I joined forces with my best friend, Susie Page. Together we started the dream that became Loco-Motion Dance Theatre. By 1994, when we weren’t generating money for the gym, we incorporated as a nonprofit and moved to the basement of Saint Veronica’s Church (on Christopher Street) where we stayed for many years. Eventually we moved to Saint Mark’s Church in the East Village, where we are today, and love sharing the building with The Poetry Project, Danspace Project, New York Theatre Ballet.
VV: What is your favorite thing about your work?
LP: My favorite thing is tapping into my students’ unlimited potential to create positive change and art that is inclusive, crosses boundaries and sparks passionate dialogue.
VV: What is your least favorite thing about your work?
LP: I don’t have one!
VV: What was it like for you at the beginning of the pandemic and now?
LP: The beginning of the pandemic was very challenging because we had to go on Zoom and dancing in small spaces to a computer screen is not ideal. However, there was something very stimulating about the process of making it work. It was a time that revealed the loyalty of my students, their families, and my instructors to keeping our school going strong. It has been humbling and inspiring. Sometimes we would meet on the Christopher Street Pier, Tompkins Square Park or Stuyvesant Town Parks, because we missed each other so much and wanted to dance together in the fresh air.
We are so grateful for the grants and donations that kept us in operation. Post pandemic. our enrollment is down considerably, and we are trying to get that back to pre-pandemic levels of 100 students.
VV: Tell us more about your background.
LP: I was born in Washington Heights and spent most of my childhood in State College, PA. I returned to NYC after high school to major in dance at Marymount College. I wanted to explore the many dance and art activism opportunities available here in the 1980s.
VV: What are your favorite places in the Village?
LP: In the early years, my favorite place was Charles Lane, a tiny cobblestone alley situated at Washington Street. In the early 1990s it looked like 1890s NYC. We staged impromptu plays and played theater games. It was a time of joy and wild abandon.
VV: What is your favorite memory?
LP: My best memories are when my daughter Soleil’s dad, Ky Platt, would bring her to me in a car seat when she was a month old. We would plop her down in the middle of the action when I was teaching class. My other favorite memories are just about every final dress rehearsal with my dancers, when much gets changed at the last minute and chaos reigns supreme in a highly creative way.