Record Breaking Human Tower
For over 200 years, people in Catalonia, Spain, have been creating human towers, known as castells, out of their bodies. Earlier this month, the castellers achieved something never seen before.
While generally not performed in a competition environment, every two years teams come together to compete in the Concurs de Castells in Tarragona. This year, one team has made history by successfully building a nine-story human tower. The tradition originated from an older folk dance called Ball de Valencians, which gained popularity in Catalonia in the 18th century, is often performed during festivals and processions, the finale of the dances would culminate in the participants forming a small human structure, creating a tower-like effect that delighted onlookers. Eventually, that final acrobatic form started to become the main attraction.
