Meet the Brooklyn crossing guard who loves to dance on the job

Georgia Worrell
·2 min read
1
Esther
Esther

The crosswalk is her dance floor.

Esther “Star” Bishop’s bread and butter is safely escorting kids across a Bedford-Stuyvesant intersection – while simultaneously shaking her hips and twirling to whatever beat she has blasting through her earbuds.

“The dancing, it’s just inside of me, and I’m telling you, I can’t even get it out,” the school crossing guard said from her post at Saratoga Avenue and Bainbridge Street this week.

Esther “Star” Bishop said she couldn’t stop dancing if she tried. Michael Nagle
Esther “Star” Bishop said she couldn’t stop dancing if she tried. Michael Nagle
Bishop has been an NYPD school crossing guard at Saratoga Avenue and Bainbridge Street for four years. Michael Nagle
Bishop has been an NYPD school crossing guard at Saratoga Avenue and Bainbridge Street for four years. Michael Nagle

Sporting an NYPD uniform and matching navy face glitter, Bishop, 54, wiggled to Sade’s “Smooth Operator” and controlled traffic while elementary schoolers poured out of PS 137 – a responsibility which she has been fulfilling, with flavor, for the past four years.

“The NYPD serve and protect. . . . I can serve with a dance – and I protect,” she told The Post, spinning for effect.

“The NYPD serve and protect. . . . I can serve with a dance – and I protect,” Bishop told The Post. Michael Nagle
“The NYPD serve and protect. . . . I can serve with a dance – and I protect,” Bishop told The Post. Michael Nagle

The East New York native said she’s been grooving since she was an infant, and that she couldn’t stop dancing if she tried – but insisted that she would never let it get in the way of her duties.

“I just want to always move, and it’s very hard to explain, but it’s me. It’s like a part of me, it’s like a connection, a spiritual thing. . . . I can’t even contain it.

“But I would never dance to where I’m oblivious. . . . I’m stopping the cars. They ain’t going nowhere. And that’s what my job is first – but I mix it with dancing,” Bishop said through shiny gold grills.

“The kids love when we have to cross that street, because [Bishop] dances and they just adore it,” pedestrian Lucero Sanchez said. Michael Nagle
“The kids love when we have to cross that street, because [Bishop] dances and they just adore it,” pedestrian Lucero Sanchez said. Michael Nagle

For Brooklynites like Lucero Sanchez, a 31-year-old nanny of two toddlers in Bed-Stuy, seeing Bishop dance on the street makes the day brighter.

“The kids love when we have to cross that street, because she dances and they just adore it. It makes them so excited to see her dance and move – it’s really fun. I think it’s not very common what she does, and it really just makes us happy to see it,” Lucero gushed.

Some of Bishop’s favorite artists are George Michael, Rihanna and Lady Gaga – but she wouldn’t give up her gig even if it meanr being a back-up dancer to one of her heroes.

“My passion is not to dance for Lady Gaga. . . . my passion is here. The joy of dancing is to protect the people.”

“I’m gonna do it til I retire.”