When did you start dancing?
I started dancing when I was three years old. I started with tap and jazz before taking up ballet when I was about five.
Meet the Coryphées: Saranja Crowe
Saranja Crowe with Artists of The Australian Ballet, The Happy Prince (Murphy) 2020
Photo Jeff Busby
Meet Saranja Crowe, the Coryphée who at age twelve took a leap of faith to study at The Australian Ballet School, leaving her hometown of Brisbane to fulfil her dreams of being a professional dancer.
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Written by
Heather Bloom
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Published on
20 June 2024
Saranja Crowe, Valerie Tereshchenko, Brodie James and Matthew Bradwell, Pura Vida (Geeves) 2022
Photo Edita Knowler
When did you join The Australian Ballet?
I joined The Australian Ballet in 2017.
Saranja Crowe with Artists of The Australian Ballet, Spartacus (Jervies) 2018
Photo Kate Longley
When did you know you wanted ballet to be your career?
I was around eleven or twelve. I had been offered a place at The Australian Ballet School which meant moving from my home of Brisbane to Melbourne. It was at that point that I had to make the decision to either study ballet full-time or keep it as a hobby on the side. It was a huge decision to make at only twelve, but I’m very happy I did it.
Do you have a dream role to dance?
I have a few dream pas de deux I’d love to dance, including Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain and Concerto by Sir Kenneth MacMillan. Also, anything from William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated or Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room. I really love the music for each of these works and it would be a dream to dance to any of these beautiful scores.
Saranja Crowe with Artists of The Australian Ballet, Jewels (Balanchine) 2023
Photo Rainee Lantry
Who was your favourite dancer when you were growing up?
Because I was studying at The Australian Ballet School I had the benefit of being just down the corridor from The Australian Ballet. So, I definitely looked up to the Company dancers and couldn’t choose just one favourite. Some of the dancers I looked up to were Kirsty Martin, Olivia Bell, Leanne Stojmenov and Amber Scott.
Saranja Crowe with Artists of The Australian Ballet in rehearsal for The Dream (Ashton) 2023
Photo Christopher Rodgers-Wilson
What’s something people may not know about ballet?
The unique hours we work (especially when in-season), and the amount of shows we perform each year.
Saranja Crowe, Serena Graham and Jasmin Durham, Swan Lake (Hallberg) 2023
Photo Kate Longley
What’s something people may not know about you?
I wasn’t accepted into The Australian Ballet immediately after graduating from The School. In that time, I performed seasonal work, and I had the opportunity to perform in Derek Deane’s Swan Lake in-the-round, with the English National Ballet at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
To learn more about The Australian Ballet's dancers