New book showcases second-line culture
7th May 2018 · 0 Comments
By Ryan Whirty
Contributing Writer
Eric Waters and Karen Celestan were hunkered down behind the counter at the Louisiana Music Factory on Frenchman Street in New Orleans last Wednesday as dozens of shoppers milled around.
Several of the patrons spoke with Waters and Celestan, and some purchased copies of the duo’s new book, Freedom’s Dance, a beautiful compendium about the Social Aid and Pleasure Club culture in New Orleans.
The volume focuses especially on the vibrant tradition of second-line dancing within the African-American community and what the activity has meant historically and how it remains an essential aspect of local culture.
The second-line story is told through a career’s worth of photographs taken by Waters, one of the city’s most vital photographers working today, with Celestan working as writer, editor and editorial guide. The book was published by LSU Press and released in February.
As Dr. Michael White, who penned one of the essays in the book that accompanies Waters’ photos, played bouncy trad jazz – the perfect music for an SAPC second line – in a corner of the store, Waters and Celestan signed copies of their book and reflected on the long, sometimes arduous, but ultimately fulfilling journey toward the book’s publication.
Celestan, an executive writer and editor in University Advancement and an adjunct professor of English at Texas Southern University, first encountered Waters many years ago at Jazz Fest, and after Waters discussed his 40-year professional photographic career – especially his hundreds, if not thousands, of photos of second lines and other aspects of SAPC culture – Celestan knew she had to help Waters bring all the images together.
“I said, ‘Oh Eric, you need to collect these and do a book,’” Celestan said last week. “So we kind of winnowed stuff down and placed things in categories.”
But then Hurricane Katrina struck, dealing the project a severe blow that knocked the authors off their track toward publication.
But, Celestan said, they regrouped and became even more determined.
“It actually made us more focused,” she said.
Fifteen years later, the book was complete, and Waters and Celestan have been gratified with the result. In addition to chronicling the second-line tradition, the volume also reflects Waters’ photographic style and development. He picked up his passion in his late 20s. “I started late in photography,” he said – and was mentored by legendary photographer Marion Porter, who for decades shot for numerous local and national publications as well as New Orleans churches and unions.
Porter’s tutelage proved fruitful for the young artist, who was inspired to train his lens on the many strands of the New Orleans cultural and social tapestry, including SAPCs and second lines.
“I just started photographing it,” Waters said. “It was just so amazing, and it’s been in me.” Waters added that the SAPC tradition that gave birth to second lining imbued the dancing with the very soul of New Orleans and the individuals who give it life.
“When I do second lines,” he said, “I see a total abandonment and freedom in people.”
Now that the project is finally complete, it seems to have caught on with the public. Upon its February 7 release, the book rocketed to No. 1 in the Folk Dancing category on Amazon and to No. 30 of the Website’s top 100 new books.
It’s also been one of LSU Press’ hottest sellers, said M’Bilia Meekers, a publicist and copywriter for the LSU Press marketing department, calling it “one of our most popular books this season.”
While the sales are nice, for Waters and Celestan, “Freedom’s Dance” means so much more.
“It’s a tribute to the people who give their all to this culture,” Celestan said. “It’s something they love. They give their all for it every year, no matter what it takes to get it to the streets. We hope [the book] is a preservation and dedication to their culture, and it’s an honor to be able to do this.”
Waters offered similar thoughts.
“This is a validation,” he said. “We both wanted to be respectful of the people we write about and love. We want them to embrace the book, because it’s all about them.”
Waters concluded by paraphrasing the words of New Orleans jazz great Ellis Marsalis when the music legend was interviewed on WWOZ 20 years ago and discussed local culture.
“This will show that it’s not just a rumor, that it actually existed,” Waters said, channeling Marsalis to describe SAPC culture and second lines. “This book is the proof.”
Freedom’s Dance can be purchased at Amazon, at local bookstores, or by going to www.lsupress.org/ordering.
This article originally published in the May 7, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
