Sydney Swearingen trained extensively in ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and tap throughout her adolescence. She studied at Modern Dance Arts and Marjorie Kovich School of Ballet before joining Oklahoma City Ballet’s Pre-Professional Program, where she trained from 2015–2018. While training at Oklahoma City Ballet, Sydney performed in numerous professional productions, including Paul Vasterling’s Peter Pan and Robert Mills’ Sleeping Beauty.
After graduating from high school, Sydney attended the University of Oklahoma, where she studied Ballet Performance with minors in Health and Exercise Science and Arts Management. During her time at OU, she performed as a soloist in Amy Hall Gardner’s world premiere I Rise and performed in William Christensen’s The Nutcracker.
In 2021, Sydney transferred to the University of Central Oklahoma to pursue a degree in Dance Education. She completed her K–12 student teaching internship at John Marshall Enterprise High School in Oklahoma City Public Schools and graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Dance. She is certified to teach dance to students in grades K–12 in the state of Oklahoma.
Sydney joined the full-time faculty at Modern Dance Arts in 2019, where she taught ballet, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary through 2025. During her tenure, she choreographed numerous award-winning competitive routines and developed dancers of all ages and skill levels. She has also served in multiple artist-in-residence positions throughout Oklahoma, teaching dance in both rural and urban public school districts.
In 2025, Sydney relocated to Fort Collins, Colorado, to pursue her professional dance career. She joined Canyon Concert Ballet as a Second Company dancer and was promoted to the Main Company shortly before the organization’s closure in April 2026. During her time with Canyon Concert Ballet, Sydney also served as a full-time faculty member at the Canyon Concert Ballet School, teaching ballet and Horton modern technique. Midway through the season, she was promoted to Upper-Level Lead Instructor in recognition of her leadership and teaching excellence.
Sydney joined the faculty of Studio West Dance Center in August 2025 and has thoroughly enjoyed working with its dancers and families. She is passionate about cultivating technically strong, artistic, and confident dancers while fostering a positive, encouraging classroom environment where every student can thrive.