Local Skater Performs On National Stage With Usher

Sydney Blaylock recently performed with Usher at the Apple Music Halftime Show. PHOTO BY MRS. POWELL.
Sydney Blaylock recently performed with Usher at the Apple Music Halftime Show. PHOTO BY MRS. POWELL.

Local Skater Performs On National Stage With Usher

By Tia Carol Jones

Sydney Blaylock has been roller skating her whole life. Her mother and her friend’s roller skated at The Loop. On Wednesdays and Fridays, Blaylock’s mother would take her to skate at The Rink.

Blaylock likes the community that comes with roller skating. She said going to the roller-skating rink is like going to a family reunion. It is a stress reliever for her and it is how she stays in shape. She also likes travelling for skating and performing.

Blaylock recently performed with Usher during the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show. She said performing with Usher was a lot of hard work, but it was also fun. She said the choreography changed up until the morning of the show, so she had to stay alert to everything that was happening.

“It definitely taught me a lot about how to focus and how to take care of your body in a completely different way to be a better performer,” she said.

Blaylock said the performance went by really fast once she got on stage. She worked for five weeks on the choreography for the performance, and it felt like it was a few seconds. She said it didn’t feel like work, it felt like she was living a dream. She created a bond with the other performers, with the team, the dancers and with Usher. She described it as a mind-blowing experience. She was inspired and had fun.

Blaylock didn’t get to see the full run of the show until a week before the performance. When she had the opportunity to view the whole Halftime show performance, she screamed at the head slide with excitement, not realizing how much of an impact the technique of her split performance had until she watched other people’s reactions to it.

“Seeing myself right next to Usher, I was like, ‘wow, that’s crazy,’” she said.

Blaylock lived in New York City, working in the fashion and beauty industry for 10 years before returning to Chicago. Her and a friend created an online boutique with clothes that people can wear to skate and on other occasions. It is called Syd Exota and they created it because people liked the outfits they wore when they were skating.  The boutique is available online and it is in collaboration with Rags, which is located at 87th and Sangamon.

Blaylock said her creativity for outfits came from seeing what the adults wore when they were skating. She would see women in catsuits and skaters in matching outfits. The freedom that people had with their outfits and their sexuality was something that inspired her to enter the fashion industry.

Blaylock teaches skating at Kenwood Academy High School on Friday evenings. There is a roller-skating club at the school.  Kenwood High School Principal, Ms. Karen Calloway had the idea for Blaylock to come in and teach the students how to skate. The club has inspired other students and even staff to come and skate. She likes being able to give back to the high school she graduated from.

Blaylock wants to encourage others to skate. She said that you’re never too old to skate and you can start at anytime.

“It’s very fun, you’re going to work out and you’re going to meet people. We’re really nice and welcoming. It’s definitely a great experience,” she said.

You can follow Sydney Blaylock at SydBlaylock on Instagram, or visit sydneyblaylock.com to find out more about her.

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