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Just last year, Hakan Manav and fellow X-treme team members Eleni Siafakis and Lincoln Parr brought taekwondo into the homes of millions of viewers around Australia. Responding to an ad on television seeking gifted Australians, Manav decided to audition for Channel Seven’s Australia’s Got Talent. “I thought it would be a great medium to perform our shows on a national and international scale — international being via the internet,” Manav says.
Manav and team captivated audiences with jumping spinning kicks, incredible flexibility and thrilling choreography. Looking back on the show, Manav remembers, “It was definitely a very exciting and overwhelming experience. The atmosphere at our shoots was electrifying and the energy I received from the audience’s reaction was indescribable.” Not only did they reach the semi-finals, but the Demo Team X-treme was requested back for an encore performance by Australian singer and Australia’s Got Talent judge Dannii Minogue. Manav attributes their success to the wide appeal of the act. “I believe it was because our show tapped into the emotions of the viewers. It had a bit of something that everyone could relate to. We had the kids, the comedy, the music, costumes, choreography and the storyline. I really wanted to show Australia something unique, which turned out to be a success.”
Long before they became a hit on TV though, the Australian Demo Team X-treme members were impressing live audiences with their martial arts demonstrations. The team was formed in 1990 and have performed to crowds at the Sydney Opera House, Fox Studios and Bondi Beach to name just a few places. “At the time, I was the youngest member of the team,” says Manav, now 22, of the early days. “I was famous for my flexibility… and doing splits on chairs.”
Since joining the team at such a young age, Manav has been at the core of its development. “Initially, performances were just a repeat of our training session in an outside environment, in front of a crowd. However as the years went on, so did our performances. They are more intense now, and incorporate synchronised moves, choreography to music, comedy, drama and extreme martial arts techniques, all around a storyline. They can be as small as local festivals or in front of 10,000–15,000 people,” Manav says. While extreme martial arts are obviously a lot of fun to perform and to watch, they serve a wider purpose as well. When asked why the demo team was created, Manav says it was in hopes of entertaining a wider audience, beyond martial artists, and to promote the martial arts — “To show people that there is more to martial arts than just rigid, monotonous kicking and punching drills.” Anyone who caught any of Australia’s Got Talent last year would probably agree this goal was achieved.
A performer both on and off screen, Manav has won multiple sport taekwondo titles, including most recently winning two world titles at the US Open World Martial Arts Games. Earlier achievements include winning gold at the World Peewee Open Championship in 1994, and becoming Australia’s youngest Black-belt at the age of six — the result of learning since he could walk, under the watchful eye of his father Master Ridvan Manav, a renowned taekwondo coach and “speed and flexibility specialist”. So it’s fair to say that Hakan Manav has been punching and kicking for as long as he can remember.
“To be honest, I don’t actually remember the day I started taekwondo,” Manav reveals, “as my dad ran the Australian Martial Arts Academy back [when I was young]. He used to take me along while teaching. There are photos of me in nappies in the dojo, so I would say that I was born into the sport.”
His dad, Master Ridvan Manav, was himself introduced to martial arts at 10 years of age when he started judo with the Newtown Police Boys’ Club. Two years later he tried his hand at boxing, this time training with the Redfern Police Boys’ Club. However, it was after viewing his first Bruce Lee movie at age 12 that Master Ridvan really became fanatical about martial arts. “A friend of my brother’s took me to see my first Bruce Lee movie. I was immediately inspired by his focus, awesome flexibility and powerful kicks. After this I enrolled in Yun’s Taekwondo in the city, where I remained until I received my Black-belt,” recalls Manav Senior. Since then, he has made a significant mark in the world of taekwondo. He has won numerous competitions at state, national and international levels, as well as being selected to coach the Australian national team at the World Taekwondo Championships. Master Ridvan is currently teaching at Australian Martial Arts and Fitness Academy, providing a great source of inspiration for his students and, of course, his son.
“Ever since I was a young kid growing up, I’ve always looked up to my father and admired his will and determination. He would give everything he did 100 per cent and has always had a positive outlook on life,” Manav says. “Every decision that I have made in my life, he has supported me all the way. Whether it was travelling to the other side of the world for a training camp, or tournament, he has always made it happen.”
Of his son’s achievements, Master Ridvan is as proud as any father. “The key to Hakan’s successes can, undoubtedly, be attributed to his total self-saturation in the martial arts,” he says. “Since he could walk, Hakan has been practising the art of taekwondo, training his mind and body to be the best he can be. On top of his personal dedication, Hakan also has a strong support network, particularly in his family, who all are expert martial artists themselves.”
Of the Demo Team X-treme, Master Ridvan also speaks with proud satisfaction. “Our Demo Team X-treme demonstrates an impressive set of skills that differs to any other. Not only is it their amazingly explosive kicks, flexibility, speed, strength and power, but also the maturity with which they present themselves.” So, their selection to appear on national television wasn’t a big surprise.
However, it seems 15 minutes of fame is not enough for young Manav, whose martial arts skills and passion for acting have placed him in the spotlight several other times. Some may remember the National Geographic Channel program Fight Science, which paired scientists and martial arts masters to compare the speed and power of different fighting systems. Manav became involved with the show when contacted by the program directors at the National Geographic channel. “They were holding an exclusive function to high-end clientele. They asked me to perform in front of this clientele to represent the TV series Fight Science. It was a very exciting function to be a part of and I met a lot of great people in the industry,” explains Manav.
Outside of television, Manav has worked on several films, including upcoming martial-arts-based short films Enough and A Reason.
Since completing a stunt course at the Australian Stunt Academy on the Gold Coast, Manav has also completed course units in advanced abseiling, stage combat, wirework, high falls, fight choreography and weaponry choreography. While this training will no doubt be useful, Manav tells me he has no real ambition to become a professional stunt man. His ambitions instead remain focused on his taekwondo training, teaching and competing.
“I want to continue teaching the martial arts and further myself as an instructor and mentor. I want to continue training and competing,” he says. “The training, travelling and competing in all forms of martial arts is what keeps me going in this sport. I also want to continue acting and pursuing that path. I want make sure that each (performance) is better than the one before. I also want to make sure that I give back to the community in various ways. I want to continually grow as a person.”
Hakan Manav’s taekwondo journey has already taken over 20 years, but at just 22 years old he is far from done. We will no doubt be seeing many more of his explosive kicks in the years to come.
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