Why I Keep Coming Back to the Brockville Hafla

There’s a certain kind of event that gets under your skin. Not because it’s flashy, and not because you feel obligated to show up, but because it quietly means something. The annual Hafla in Brockville, organised by the incredible Aaliyah, is exactly that kind of event for me.

I’ll be honest: I don’t really perform anymore. Those days are mostly behind me. But every year, when this Hafla rolls around, I find myself packing a bag and making the trip to Brockville, and I never regret it.

More Than a Show

For the uninitiated, a hafla is a gathering centred around dance, typically Middle Eastern styles, though Aaliyah has always made room for a beautiful mix of genres and performers. From students just finding their footing to seasoned professionals who move like they were born to it, the variety is part of what makes it so alive. You never quite know what you’re going to see, and that’s a gift.

Aaliyah has been organising this event for many years now, and it shows. You can feel it in the smoothness of the evening, the warmth of the volunteers, the sense that everyone in that room is there for something bigger than a night out. The whole thing doubles as a fundraiser for Victim Services of Leeds and Grenville, and that purpose gives the whole event a kind of weight and warmth that’s hard to manufacture.

This Year Felt Different

The 2026 show was on May 30, just weeks after a devastating triple fatality domestic violence incident shook the tight-knit Brockville community. I don’t think anyone in that room could forget that context. There was grief underneath the celebration, and I think that actually made the evening more meaningful, not less. Dancing, gathering, raising money for victim support: it all mattered more.

And the community showed up. Between ticket sales, a silent auction, and a deeply generous anonymous donor who matched ticket sales dollar for dollar, Aaliyah was able to present $2,560 to Victim Services of Leeds and Grenville. That’s real money for a local organisation doing real, often invisible, work.

The Weekend Bonus

I’d be leaving something out if I didn’t mention this: getting away to Brockville for the weekend is just good. There’s something about travelling with dance friends, sharing that particular brand of road trip energy, comparing notes on performances, laughing over dinner, staying up too late, that recharges me in a way I didn’t know I needed until I started doing it. It’s become one of those things I look forward to well before the actual event.

Thank You, Aaliyah

Events like this don’t happen without someone stubbornly, lovingly making them happen year after year. Aaliyah does that. Her volunteers do that. And together they’ve built something that’s become genuinely important: important to performers, to audience members, and to a community organisation that depends on that support.

If you’ve ever thought about going, go. You don’t have to dance. You just have to show up.