01.05.2017 - 03:52
A group of young performers called Koales de Melbourne will be showcasing the Catalan culture by building Australia’s very first human tower on Tuesday 2 May at Berwick Primary School.
The performance, starting at 1:30pm, will consist of 15 performers using strength, agility and teamwork to build a human tower up to four storeys high.
“We’re passionate and proud to bring a part of the Catalan culture to Melbourne; we hope our performance will inspire others to join, have fun and learn about our traditions,” said group co-ordinator Oscar Hernandez.
Over 1,000 students are expected to attend the event as part of Berwick Primary School’s annual Cultural Week, which for 2017 is themed around the Catalan culture.
Building human towers or “castells” is an iconic tradition in Catalonia, Spain, and consists of people using their strength and balance to climb each other to create human structures.
Koales de Melbourne is the first group or “colla” in Australia, and have been practising and refining their technique since forming in late 2014. The group is made up of approximately 50 people whose diverse backgrounds span Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Australia.
The act of building human towers is included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list; a register of internationally significant traditions that is passed onto future generations. The highest recorded human structure is 10 storeys high.
To find out more about Koales de Melbourne, visit their Facebook page.
