Gribbz of Mesa on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Gribbz and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Gribbz, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
For the last almost 9 years, I’ve been building skills, putting serious time into my passions and hobbies away from the 9 to 5. ( this is what nobody sees that I’m proud of below )

I’m on my second journey now and embarking on pursuing music, dance photography, videography a dance floor business, building websites for people and much more.
When you’re a entrepreneur or just trying to make it, you pick up so many different things because when you no longer work that 9 to 5 or that 6 to 5, whatever you want to call it, you all of a sudden to have more time to yourself and time to rest, time to think, time to breathe, and focus on yourself your passion of your hobbies 100% that’s the beauty of it. You get to go all in, which is what you should be doing, but it’s not always a straight line. It’s zigzagging, circling, left right up down, two steps forward, one step back and so on.

Of course, if you let this get away from you and you get too lazy, too comfortable, this happens quite a bit to entrepreneurs and creative, artists who aren’t fully locked in ( speaking from experience) you can get sidetracked real quick and fall behind then having to go back to the workforce and get a job which you can then get stuck in for a while (also speaking from experience)
We want to try our best to not have to do that.

I left my job in 2019 to pursue electronic dance music (EDM) and the Melbourne shuffle, a hard dance from the EDM underground rave scene of Melbourne Australia.
I’ve been training every day and when I’m not training every day. I’m dancing in my head. I literally lose calories just by thinking about Dance that’s how much I enjoy it and think about it constantly, (Seriously)
It’s like a sickness, but it’s a happy addiction. I’ll say that. And it’s good for you too plenty of exercise you stay in phenomenal, shape. Just this week I was mistaken for 22, I’m 34 for the record!

A lot of the grinding behind the camera and posting to socials, people do get to witness. I do choose to share quite a bit of my life because it’s a documentation as I like to document my process, my journey and others as well on the way up.

I think I’m most proud of building the strong community connections across the United States, Europe, and other places all over the within the Shuffle dance scene and the all style dance community as well.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Colin. I go by Gribbz.
That’s my alias / nickname / dance nickname.

Started to get into structured dance via the Melbourne Shuffle, originating from Melbourne Australia at age 24/25 in 2016
In 34 now so about 9 years coming up.
I started my own professional teaching business as a Melbourne Dance Shuffle instructor.

I think what makes my business and brand unique and interesting is that I catapulted myself into the virtual world of zoom / teams calls during the shutdown. I knew that I was going to have to make a pivot… I think we all did and virtual business became a thing literally overnight.

I taught people literally from all over the world from many different countries from Japan, Korea, Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, and more. ( reflecting back on it now really makes me stop and think how awesome that was because I had the opportunity to teach people how to dance and express themselves on a whole other level, being my hard work and dedication to the craft for the first few years or so, I would relentlessly train until the desired look on camera was achieved, so seeing that come to life right in front of me through my students and pupils was really eye-opening and I knew that I was and still am making a difference even today. I’m proud to share and teach them my technique and style and pass that on. It’s a legacy in the making. ( some people don’t care about that sort of thing, but I do.)

I currently just finished a website. It’s nothing too special but the fact that I was able to figure it out on my own using AI tools and learning how to build it all by myself is a big accomplishment, so I’m working towards taking on more students and working on recordings of tutorials that people can purchase an entire package and also a subscription service that I’m working on for dance moves that people can learn on the go or training at home.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I like this question. I think that, I / we were always meant to be or do something significant in our lives. Weather it’s becoming a mom or dad ( which is NO easy feat in today’s economy ) and I say this because I’m reflecting on my fathers choice to pick up our family and move across the USA to live in Phoenix Arizona, Where I was born.
I mention this, because my father told me recently that “when you have kids, prepare yourself, its a full time job son, your literal job is to make sure that those kids grow up to be healthy, strong and independent thinks, doers, etc.. That sentence really hit me hard. ( of course I knew this ) It’s not easy raising kids, being a parent and juggling your OWN LIFE. Damn, I can only imagine how things were back then, my dad had so many hobbies and passions and still does , but now they have been narrowed down to just a 1-2. Some of those were Professional drag racing. ( Yes my dad is a bad ass ) He was and is a rebel till this day, driving and modifying hot rods because the loud piping exhaust sounds really cool to car enthusiasts and fanatics, dating back from the 1930’s and up. Classic car culture was and IS his thing growing up. If you ever visit a small Midwest town you’ll definitely run into a car show or 2 guaranteed. It was when I only just realized that, although my dad had a lot of pressure growing up raising 3 kids total, that was HIS thing. He was and is a GREAT dad and parent. I realize now through this question that, that was one of the most important roles that he may have known that he was going to be before the world told him… before he even knew it at that young adolescent age. ( But I think he’s more aware of that last part now now ) He now gets to reap the benefit of seeing his offspring rise to the challenges and journey of life as well, just like him.

Which brings the spotlight to me now, I think that we’re all meant for something great in this Matrix of life, as I mentioned earlier^,
Some things may not be as significant as another persons experiences, but I can confidently say that every action has some sort of crazy divine timing or reaction in that persons own life. It’s just the way it is, ( And that’s OK !) So what if you had to raise kids your whole young adult life and onward, it made you who YOU are today and you can be proud of that regardless. And don’t get me wrong my childhood was good (some might say better than most) I didn’t grow up poor, we weren’t well off but my parents were just really good savers at the time which made me feel rich and taken care of on the inside..They made it work somehow, ( minimum wage was $3-7 in the early 90’s mind you) but the partnership / marriage, it had its fallacies, set backs and struggles just like any relationship growing up in the surban-ized way of life that we were raised in, where everything around you was perfect down to the square foot, the park right across the street, the perfectly paved sidewalks, the rich neighbors and cars they drove, the community of kids I was fortunate to play with every day after school or on weekends. and life as you knew it was pretty good and this was normal to me, but I just knew in my tiny adolescent brain back then that I was meant to do something cool someday, something out of the ordinary. I say that because my mom and dad wanted peace of mind and to live better lives for all of us ( the irony of escaping a small safety net of a town from the Midwest life to go and live in a bustling city which is almost the opposite of that..ha) It came with many risks and that’s what life’s about too, I suppose.

My parents made a better life for us which led to me doing this interview right now, because I’m somewhat of an interesting person I guess LOL. 😛 As I said earlier, my dad is a rebel ( going against the grain of life so to speak) and so am I 100%. It’s only also just recently occurred to me that people who stand out the most are the people that took risks in believing in themselves. ( THIS IS LIKE A NEW FOUND BREAKTHROUGH DISCOVERY IVE MADE AT AGE 34) believe me when I tell you, I DO believe in myself but it was never 100% now I’ve hit a part in my life where I cannot be holding myself back like I had been years prior. Fear of rejection, self doubt and judgement by others are the 3 worst perpetrators of my life ( or so they used to be…) Sprinkle in some bullying in there at a young age and getting beat up, it eventually hardens you. I’ve been relentlessly posting myself on my socials such as Youtube: Empowermelbourneshuffle and
Instagram: @_gribbz_ for 9 long years this December. I’ve been doing this for nearly a decade.
I had no problem returning from the Midwest at age 24, 25 and going all in at Melbourne Shuffling which is the dance that I do currently..I said to myself “when I return to Arizona, I want to help make a real difference in peoples lives and do something that will fulfill me to my life’s purpose, kind of like my dad. And till this day those words are stamped inside my head permanently. I’m doing my best to tie this all together to paint you the picture I have in my head.

Who I was before the world told me I had to be, was a young adult in his mid 20’s not really sure about his life and what lies ahead of him, but through the – 30 degree harrowing cold winters of the Midwest and 4 years to the day of loneliness, heartbreak, uncertainty and more, made that young 20 something year old in me run far away from that miserable life on the prairie and give up the 9-5 debt wage system that we’ve all been led to believe is the way of life…
And that my readers, is NOT the answer. I was born and brought into this plain of existence to DANCE and spread music such as EDM (Electronic Dance Music) peace love and light. Call it corny but i call it my calling… and answer me this, why does it feel so easy end effortless to do and fulfilling at the same time? I’ve built full on dance communities and dance crews and had an enormous echo of an impact across the world in my almost 10 years of dance that will forever have a beckoning effect. Because I know the reason and mission I’m here to serve.

So in conclusion to this question, I went on in life wondering “when will it be MY TIME to do something great or big with my life. Well I’m living it right now, and I am conscious of that every single day and let me tell you, it feels like a dream. The world finally told me 9 years ago who I had to be, today I am starting to personify that fully, into the man and person I now HAVE to and WANT to be.
In the words of Neo from the Matrix, ” I don’t like the idea that I don’t control my own life and fate”
I want full autonomy of my life and fate, but I think it’s somewhat planned out or written by either god or the universe, and it’s our job basically to fulfill that role to the best of our ability and make things a reality, and by that I mean my Imagination and dance. I cherish my imagination so much. It’s special. I definitely don’t think like everyone else and I’ve realized this long ago. We’re all unique in our own ways of course. But some a little more than others because of the complex intertwined upbringing of life that led you to where you are today, and when you realize how special of a being and person you are, you learn to hunker down, learn about who you are as a person and do the deep rooted soul searching and learning to understand yourself fully, learning, growing and getting smarter every day, working out staying fit and healthy, having a clear conciseness, seeing and reading in between the lines, knowing that you are divine and meant for greatness but to also help others in need in the future, that;s what it’s all about. ( sounds like describing the acts of god) Bringing each dance to life with the magic of film and cinema and using the ability and magic of a small device to post it all over the world to others to inspire and lift them up. Art can be used as a weapon to fight back against the darkness in this world, something I aim to focus on through my life moving forward.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me literally every lesson I know today.
Without suffering a little bit, or a lot, there would be no learning curve, which eventually then led to success later on. The 10,000 hour rule hits so hard reflecting on being a dancer especially.
All the hours of practice and looking awkward and quirky, seemed meaningless and talk about suffering and wondering if you’ll ever look the way you desire ( although that’s not what its truly about) I tend to be a perfectionist and It’s OK to want to look a certain way.
That’s why we take the time after all to practice in the first place.

Suffer for a little bit and reap the success later, that’s what I had to train my brain to do and think when applying it to dancing.

Success does not come first, only by short cutting and cheating to the top. The long way around ISSS the preferred way for me. I’d rather put in the good work knowing I did my part.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
Haha, Yes, I’m brutally honest!
What you see on Instagram, is what you see and get in real life talking to me in person.
I wear my heart on my sleeve 1000%. The real me.

Nothing to hide.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If immortality were real, what would you build?
These questions are very thought provoking!

Oh man, I’d have all the time in the world if that were the case. I’d build an army of Melbourne Shuffle dancers like me and travel the world spreading my dance, and the good word of God / the universe I suppose and that we are here for a reason, so we might as well dance and live our lives to the fullest.

I would build a shuffle dance studio in every state, country that wanted one or was open to the idea of one. Dance is the gateway and doorway to spirituality and oneness with yourself. ( believe what you want on that) People believe in radio waves and magic wifi signals that make their phones literally light up so anything is possible.

I would build some memorials too honoring my dance with a sculpture of me and the greatest dancers of all time that have had an influence on me.

I’d build out an entire Shuffle dance course across all social media platforms ( which I’m doing right now actually) but smaller scale. I would make sure that music and dance are integral parts of the youths learning as this shapes their brain from 1-7 and 7-12+ they say. The more we embrace music and dance the less darkness and negativity there would be. This stuff literally cures depression.

I would literally do so much. Infinite time to do whatever you want. Sounds pretty cool to think about.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.empowermelbourneshuffle.com
• Instagram: @_gribbz_ @Empowermelbourneshufle
• Facebook: Empower Melbourne Shuffle
• Youtube: Empower Melbourne Shuffle

Image Credits
Carly Cotitta