A mat Pilates class taught by Keke Palmer is just what you’d imagine: a casual, friendly environment; instruction delivered in a conversational tone; and lots of laughter.
Nearly 250 fans experienced it firsthand Sunday at the Salt Shed during the second annual exercise festival “Move at the Shed.”
The room was bathed in tranquil green lighting, which the 33-year-old actress, singer and host complimented from the stage. Wearing hot pink leggings and a matching top, she shared anecdotes and cracked jokes as she led the attendees through leg stretches, hip rolls and squats. She occasionally sang along to the background music — a playlist of songs from her albums.
The Pilates class was part of the Robbins native’s latest venture, Practice by Palmer, a digital wellness platform that provides workouts, recorded audio messages and live chats. Palmer, who got her start working with Chicago talent agencies, isn’t the only millennial celebrity cultivating a fitness brand. Rapper Gunna has built a following with his global Wunna Run Club, emcee ASAP Ferg is teaching cycling and boot camp classes, and actress and singer Hilary Duff is the face of a “stronger, not smaller” campaign for the Ladder workout app.
In a cultural moment defined by the promotion of GLP-1’s for weight loss, Palmer’s brand is about building community and promoting mental and physical well-being rather than being thin.
“Everybody’s body is beautiful,” Palmer said during a fireside chat with ABC7 anchor Val Warner after her class. “Pilates is really just about being able to be mobile. It’s not about having a six-pack. When you really get deep into your practice, the last thing you’re worried about is how you look. You’re really worried about how you feel.”
For Natalie Dowdell, 38, of Ravenswood, the class was “a good mix” of Keke’s personality and a workout class.
”She feels like a friend that you know from home,” Dowdell said. “Anything that she does, I’m like, ‘I gotta check it out.’”
Palmer started doing Pilates following the birth of her son in 2023, but quickly discovered she wanted to move beyond personal practice and give back to others.
“How can I be on my Tony Robbins?” she said, referencing the famous motivational speaker.
Palmer said she has been learning to reconnect with herself and wants to help others do the same. As she mentions in a recent TED Talk, “How I Set Myself Free,” she is getting better at preventing burnout. Working since 11, she found herself in constant survival mode.
“I started so young,” she said at the Salt Shed of a career that began with roles in “Akeelah and the Bee” and “True Jackson VP” on Nickelodeon, and grew to include starring roles in hit films such as “Nope” and “One of Them Days.” Her parents, who met working in Chicago’s theater scene, supported her dreams. But she felt pressure to be the breadwinner at a young age.
“So much of what I was doing was helping my family. We were getting out of poverty. Scarcity is really scary. Everything feels like you’re a second away from losing it. That’s trauma. And it took me years to understand what was driving me.”
Palmer’s message resonated with Salt Shed alternative programming manager Mary McKeen, who was looking for “rare and unexpected” experiences for “Move at the Shed.”
“She is so inspirational,” McKeen said. “Keke is all about finding ways to remember to take care of yourself.”
Most of the attendees in Palmer’s class were women in their 20s and 30s who have been following the Emmy-winner for years.
For Keralynn Little, seeing someone onscreen who looked like her was “pivotal.”
“There weren’t a lot of Black girls in movies with lead roles,” said Little, 29, of River West. “I’ve been a fan ever since. And then I love fitness. So the fact that she got into fitness, it kind of feels like she’s growing up with us.”
Ines Herrera praised Palmer for being “authentically herself.”
“I just love what she stands for,” said Herrera, 26, of Lincoln Square. “So when this came about, I was just like, ‘I’m gonna be here. I’m gonna be in the front row.’ And she may never know who I am, but I’m still a dedicated fan.”
Jennifer Hill, a 62-year-old Pilates instructor, said she attended the class to observe Palmer’s style and sequence.
“With a mass group, you’ve got to be able to tailor to what everyone wants and needs, without being able to see and know the bodies,” said Hill, of South Shore. “She was able to do that.”
Hill also said her daughter was a fan of “Akeelah and the Bee.”
“It was an empowering movie,” she said. “And [Keke] is continuing to do that now — empowering people.”
Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Garth Walker also stopped by to present the star with a resolution proclaiming Sept. 13 “Practice by Palmer Day.”