Catalonian Tradition of Human Tower Building Rises High in New York
The stale air weighed down heavily on a hushed crowd that stared onwards at a mess of tangled bodies 20 stories and counting above the streets of Manhattan. Silhouetted by a brazen sun, the new fixture leaned precariously against the Manhattan skyline. We, the audience, were in an uncomfortably similar state, packed so tightly that it was not uncommon to feel a stranger’s breath at the nape of your neck—not the ideal situation for an outdoor gathering on the first day of summer, and a scorcher at that.
The crowd held its breath, holding sweaty drinks beneath burnished brow. Why were we braving the excruciating heat of a crowded rooftop? To witness the Castellers de Villafranca del Pendès’s attempted construction of New York’s first-ever castell, or human tower. Read More
