'Breaking' the January mould: Hackney Wick warehouse to hold dance jam party

Are music and breakdancing enough to sweep away the January blues?  All photographs: JAMuary

Perhaps January has the hardest job of all, forever playing backing dancer to the all-star bingeing of December and New Year. The fridge is bare, payday couldn’t come sooner and the most depressing day of the year is forecast.

But that doom and gloom looks set to break down with the third edition of JAMuary – a global, grass roots dance jam that promises world-class breaking, taking place on Saturday 30 January across two rooms in an East London warehouse.

Special guest ‘breakers’ and dancers hailing from New York, Paris, Oslo, Stockholm and Marseille to name but a few, will converge upon Stour Space in Hackney Wick.

Accompanied by a line-up of wax DJs, the international invitees will share the dancefloor with a UK cohort from all over the country to create the unique community atmosphere that defines these back-to-basics parties.

JAMuary is the annual dance beginning-of-the-year blowout organised by a collective of London-based breakdancers, artists, DJs and musicians called Hashtag Unity, who throw free parties and regular open events across the capital to promote ‘unity in the community’ – look out for their monthly parties at Bohemia Café in Hackney Central. And it’s their passion for the collective dance that is helping keep B-boy culture alive in London.

Music duties will be led by Hector Plimmer who has had releases on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings as well as an appearance from Ninja Tune affiliate Dolenz. Live band Smith and the Honey Badgers are also set to soundtrack some of the night with their infectious analogue funk, while Colectivo Futuro have just announced a special DJ set celebrating female artists.

It’s rare not to have a stage at live dance and music performances, but that’s exactly what it’s like at JAMuary, where the warm vibe is all about inclusivity; no barriers, no spotlights, just an open floor where everyone is welcome – boys and girls – to join in and be part of the community.

Get tickets for JAMuary here. (http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?774279)

Facebook event. (https://www.facebook.com/events/1722816361285993/)

Hashtag Unity (https://www.facebook.com/hashtagunity/) throw free monthly parties at Bohemia Café in Hackney Central.