sports&soc ses 14a human towers
TRANSCRIPT
Some considerations A cultural activity, not
sport.It was a local
tradition and now is a catalana tradition.
This has been possible due to:Its meaning.Television.
Some historyXVIIIth century: first evidence
of Human Tower.Origins: Ball de Valencians
(valencian dance).It’s a tradition from Southern
Catalonia (Penedés, Tarragona).Valls “capital city” of Castells.Top moments:
End of XIXth centur.1920’s1980’s1990’s: expanded around
Catalonia.2010: Castells were declared
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Castells substituted Sardana as a national catalan symbol
Sardana: traditional dance from northern Catalonia (Empordà).People (men and women together) form circles during the dance. Symbol of a “United Catalonia”.
Values associated with Human Tower
“Fer pinya” (join together): be a team, work in a team.
Goal:Reach the highest point
possible.Always fighting: continue to
build the human tower even if it falls down.
The motto of Castells is: “Força, equilibri, valor i seny” (strenght, balance, courage and common sense).
Human Towers are used as team building technique in businesses.
Who are they built by?They are built by “Colles
(“clubs”) Castelleres”.Every “colla” wears a
different colored shirt.There is a “cap de colla”
(coach) that gives instructions during its construction.
The higher the “castell” the more difficult it is to build it and take it down (“carregar i descarregar”).
“Cap de colla” directing the construction of a “castell”