Mickey Facchinello

Mickey (Michaela, ミッキー) Facchinello (born 1991) is an American martial artist, action actress, stunt performer, stunt choreographer, and entertainer.^[1]

She has practiced karate since she was nine,^[2] though different sources says seven.^[3] Facchinello herself states: "I actually began when I was eight years old in Tae Kwon Do. My mother and my grandmother both wanted me to be in a sport that would keep me physically active and teach me good fundamentals and also let me have fun, so they chose Karate.”^[4]

She obtained a black belt in 2006 from Nicklaus’ Martial Arts America in La Crosse, Wisconsin.^[5] In 2008, at the age of 16, Facchinello made the decision to move to Naperville, Illinois, to transfer to Waubonsie Valley High School and train full-time under the instruction of Master John Sharkey Jr.^[5] - the American Karate Association president and ninth degree black belt holder in Shōrei-ryū, and a third degree black belt holder in Shotokan.^[6] Another source says it was two months before the start of her senior year, at age of 17.^[3]

Facchinello is one of the most well known traditional North American Sport Karate Association (NASKA) competitors and has won multiple national and world championships. Circuits Facchinello has competed on include: Capitol Classic (2008 champion of Forms),^[7] Quebec Open (in Canada),^[8] Compete Nationals, Diamond Nationals, NASKA,^[9] A.K.A. Grands (American Karate Association), I.S.K.A. She has won at least 3 national titles.^[2]

A year later, just weeks after graduating from Waubonsie Valley, Facchinello won the junior forms division world championship at the American Karate Association Grand Nationals Tournament (June 2009) in Kentucky.

Facchinello is currently competing as a member of Team AKA, and is now one of the head instructors^[10] at Sharkey’s Karate.^[5] Facchinello enjoys taking dance classes and learning aerial silks or fabrics.^[4] She currently resides in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California.^[11]

2009 and after

In 2009 Facchinello was asked to be a part of world-renowned performance team Sideswipe,^[5] created by Sharkey disciples Matt Mullins and Mike Chaturantabut. "I wanted more of a challenge," Facchinello said. "Sharkey's offered extreme, which I was interested in and had never done. There was also performance, and I wanted to do that. XMA (Xtreme Martial Arts) is a little faster paced, a different level of martial arts, a different style. There's a lot of tumbling, sometimes music - it's more of an Americanized martial arts. It is really cool to watch. Anyone who watches it is impressed." Combining elements from martial arts, weapons choreography, acrobatics, dance and gymnastics, with an emphasis on showmanship Sideswipe performs throughout the world, and it played major role Facchinello's desire to relocate.^[3]

Facchinello performed on a daily basis^[12] alongside an otherwise all-male cast in Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas’ from Dec 2010 to 2011 in the headlining martial arts live show Sideswipe LIVE! ^[13]

Since 2010, Facchinello has been a member of the Chicago Stunt Team LBP and Thousand Pounds Action Company based in Los Angeles, California.

In 2010 she had a second degree Black Belt.^[5] Having already earned the rank of second degree black belt in tae kwon do, after several years at Sharkey's Karate, Facchinello is now experienced in several styles of the martial arts as well as other performance skills which include the Shōrei-ryū and Shotokan karate,^[11] wushu, numerous weapons (including bō staff, kama, sword), bullwhip, aerial silks, power tumbling and free tumbling,^[2] parkour/freerunning and contemporary and hip-hop dance.^[13]

Facchinello had her black belt test Aug. 27 2011.^[14][15]

In 2012 Facchinello was a cast member of a movie called Slug Street Scrappers: Rise of Ryuken, starring Micah Brock. The same year, action director Vlad Rimburg filmed small demo videos of her fighting.

In 2013 Facchinello was a cast member of martial arts web series Clandestine,.^[16] She has been a stunt performer in movies Unlucky Stars, The Purge, and 22 Jump Street, and was the stunt double for Mila Kunis in Jupiter Ascending.^[17]

STUNTS
stunt1  stunt2  stunt3

References