Navin Roepan aka Sranang Blaine

Sranangblaine (born Navin Roepan, 21st of June, 1988) is a bboy, magician, and entertainer. He is well known for his diverse talents, most significantly dancing, performing magic tricks, cooking, drawing, creating, and stunting. Having been brought up in Surinam, dancing, magic, and entertainment are a second nature to Sranangblaine. Surinamese culture is an open and loving culture where dancing is an integral part of the many community parties and get togethers. It could be said that his mother introduced him to the rhythmic motion while he was still being nurtured in her womb. Later she would inspire and instruct him in the art of magic.

Sranangblaine is of Indian descent and was born in Paramaribo, the capital of Surinam. Born into a working class family, his mother worked seven days a week in the biggest fish factory in Surinam and his father sold chicken on the market in Paramaribo. His mother can be described as a hard worker, a go-getter, and a lovely person who worked around the clock to provide for her son and his sister. She made sure Sranangblaine received a formal education and, more importantly, all the love in the world. Her sister Gita helped raising the children, something that the young artist is eternally thankful for. He now considers his aunt like a second mom. His father left the household early on to seek fortune in Holland. Having worked in the production industry from 1991 to 1996, he succeeded in reuniting the family on the 2nd of July – the day a fledging young artist first set foot in the Netherlands.

Upon arriving in Holland, the final year of elementary school was successfully completed to move on to secondary school (theoretical programme) and secondary vocational education with a focus on marketing and communication, at ‘De Rooi Pannen’ in Tilburg. In 2009 Sranangblaine started the Communication – International Event, Music & Entertainment Studies (CO-IEMES) at the Fontys Academy for Creative Industries. Scheduled to graduate and receive his Bachelor of Communications in 2013, the assertive young man has already registered his company ‘Blaine Entertainment’ as a sole proprietorship with the Chamber of Commerce on the 23rd of August in 2011. Blaine Entertainment is the next step in bringing the main performance arts of Sranangblaine, magic and breakdancing, to a wider public.

His first contact with breakdancing was during secondary school, where he witnessed and never forgot the explosive energy of this dance for the first time. The community quickly adopted the talented and open-minded newcomer. Some of the best at the time, specifically Joshua Campbell and Tony Pallandt, took an interest in Sranangblaine and taught him as much as they could. After only a year the newcomer moved on to train with his new friends, Junior and Skaffa, all of them working on an individual style and signature moves. The combination of friendship, talent, and strong motivation led to the formation of the group Hustlekidz (HKZ), a young crew that is renowned worldwide by now. As one of the formation’s core members, Sranangblaine has won the Dutch national breakdance championships five consecutive times. The reign of HKZ in the Netherlands began in 2006. As global contenders for supremacy in the breakdance scene, the group has travelled to and won major competitions in Belgium, Germany, England, Sweden, France, Estonia, Ukraine, South Korea, and LA and NYC in the US.

With an extraordinary track record in breakdancing and his accomplished educational achievements, Sranangblaine will focus his energy completely on Blaine Entertainment in 2013. The mission is to bring exceptional talent to the public. The vision of the company is even greater. The entrepreneur intends to use the earnings of his business to provide a better life for his family here and in Surinam, as his mother did for him when he was growing up.

A quick word on the artist name Sranangblaine. It consists of Sranang and Blaine. Sranang stands for Surinam, my roots, my birthplace, lovely food, enjoying, dancing, and magic. And Blaine stands for David Blaine, his biggest inspiration for magic.

Sranang and Blaine combined represent the artist’s roots, history, influences, inspirations, and aspirations. His inspirations include family and friends, Sranangblaine’s mother Niermala Bhikhoe, his uncle Aniel Kumar Bhikhoe (R.I.P.), David Blaine, Rabbani Sayed, Srq, Hustlekidz, Joshua & Noah Campbell, and living life.