A Tribute to Michelle Babicci (Carey Baptist College, Australia, 2023) is a short film presented in the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival. Through dance and group performance, the film explores themes of medical disability within a school setting and the experiences of teenagers. Without assuming a specific storyline, the work offers a sensitive tribute that invites viewers to reflect on community, movement and youthful creativity. Its inclusion in Focus on Ability highlights how artistic practice can showcase ability, resilience and collaboration. Suitable for festival audiences, the piece prompts conversation about accessibility, participation and how schools support diverse talents.
And also a woman who inspired many as a dancer, teacher, mentor, and overcomer of great challenges. Michelle must not let anything stand in her spirit. Because as she says, the faith I love is death, it's the spirit that dances. We present for you some highlights from an awesome, amazing woman, Michelle Babici. When Michelle was a child, she would gather the children in her neighborhood to work together and to put shows and performances for all the children to be involved in. And overnight, to enjoy. Okay guys, today we're doing the first dance for the week. Okay, Michelle, what do you want me to do? Can you go get the sheets please? Okay, how do we do this dance? So this dance is actually the easiest one ever. So we're going to do like a jump, and up, down, left, right. And then swish, swish, and again. And then we do two clicks, and then we make the window. Swish, swish, swish. And then, yay! Five cents for the show, thank you, five cents! As Michelle grew, she continued to do dance lessons. And she eventually went overseas to study at the Royal Ballet School. Okay guys, from the top. Five, six, seven, eight. After studying at the Royal Ballet School, Michelle would join with her fellow dancers to travel through Europe on Eurotrains. Travelling to different cities, with their backpacks, to audition for the different ballet companies around Europe. Hello, good night, how can I speak to you? Hi, can I get an audition for me and my friends? Oh yes, you can. I'll see you there, bye. Bye. Michelle would end up going on to work with the ballet in Vienna. We then fast-forward into Michelle Babicci School of Dance, to the concerts that became a tradition of her school. And one famous concert involving some of Michelle's students, some of whom had disabilities to overcome. And the performance of The Clown of God. And she kept teaching, she kept mentoring and doing what she loved, but the doctors and medical professionals struggled to understand what it was she was dealing with. Multiple sclerosis. Michelle continued to teach. Do you feel alright, Michelle? Yeah, we don't want you to feel bad. We can choreograph the rest of this dance for you. It's okay, I'm just saying you guys keep on going. Thank you all for coming tonight. Now, as you would know, we normally wrap up here, but as it's Michelle's last night, we have a special tribute for her. On behalf of the entire dance school, we would like to thank you for your time at the Michelle Babicci School of Dance. Thanks. ♪
Filmmaker
Carey Baptist College is the filmmaker behind this entry.
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