Castellers of London
| Castellers of London | |
|---|---|
| Castellers of London logo | |
| Foundation | 2015 |
| Shirt color | Red |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Premises | St Thomas the Apostle church |
| Group leader | Jan Creixell |
| President | Marc Pujol |
Castellers of London (CoL) is a group of people who live in London, England with an interest in building human towers (Castells), a Catalan tradition that dates back more than 200 years. Many of the people involved in CoL are from Catalonia, but the group also includes people from a wide variety of nationalities.[1] The goal of CoL is to promote the tradition of castells in the London area by holding open rehearsals and organising special events, such as exhibitions.[2]
In 2015, a group of people with experience in building Castells held a series of workshops to promote human towers in London and attract Londoners to attend their rehearsals. They started at Rochester Square Gardens in Camden and then moved to Camden Garden and finally rehearsed in Regent's Park. Currently, rehearsals take place in St Thomas the Apostle church in Arsenal (North London). Since the beginning, CoL continues to expand its membership, and it currently includes people of different backgrounds and all ages as well as whole families.[3]
The debut performance took place during the Youth Fest in Totthenham on 18 July 2015.[4]
So far CoL are focused on building stable towers 5 and 6 levels tall. CoL is an association run by its members and directed by two committees elected during the annual general meeting. These are the Management Committee and the Technical Team, and they are represented by the President (Marc Pujol) and Cap de Colla, the head of the team, (Jan Creixell) respectively.[5]
Performances
| Date | Year | Event | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 July | 2015 | Youth Fest in Tottenham | 1st public performance[6] |
| 26 July | 2015 | Casal Catala de Londres[7] | Festa Major del Casal |
| 16 August | 2015 | Central London | Exhibition |
| 5 September | 2015 | Kennington Park, Lambeth | Celebration of the Catalan National Day |
| 24 October | 2015 | St Thomas the Apostle Church[8] | Open Doors Day |
| 12 December | 2015 | St Pancras Community Centre (North London) [9] | Christmas Party |
| 19 March | 2016 | Biddenstone Park | Park’s Opening Ceremony |
| 24 April | 2016 | Borough Market | St.George's Day[10] |
References
- ^ Prim, Sara (24 April 2016). "Catalan and British culture mix in London in Sant Jordi celebrations". Catalan News Agency.
- ^ "Els Castellers de Londres posen el colofó al Sant Jordi britànic". La Vanguardia. 24 April 2016.
- ^ ARA Barcelona (15 July 2015). "Londres presenta en societat la seva pròpia colla castellera".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Programa de radio "l'agulla" de LANOVARÀDIO (24 July 2015). "Presentació dels Castellers of London".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Castellers of London". ARA Castells.
- ^ ARA Barcelona (23 July 2015). "Els Castellers of London estrenen camisa".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ ARA Barcelona (15 July 2015). "Londres presenta en societat la seva pròpia colla castellera".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Islington Tribune (23 October 2015). "Towering fun at St Thomas'".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "CATALAN CHRISTMAS PARTY 2015". heyevent.com. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ "Els Castellers of London celebren Sant Jordi al Borough Market". Diari Casteller. 25 April 2016.