{"id":847985,"date":"2026-09-14T23:08:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T23:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/847985\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T23:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T23:08:19","slug":"keke-palmer-drew-hundreds-to-an-empowering-pilates-class-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/847985\/","title":{"rendered":"Keke Palmer drew hundreds to an \u2018empowering\u2019 Pilates class in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

A mat Pilates class taught by Keke Palmer<\/a> is just what you\u2019d imagine: a casual, friendly environment; instruction delivered in a conversational tone; and lots of laughter.<\/p>\n

Nearly 250 fans experienced it firsthand Sunday at the Salt Shed during the second annual exercise festival \u201cMove at the Shed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 a playlist of songs from her albums.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"KEKEPILATES_260916-008.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Keke Palmer leads nearly 250 participants in a Pilates class during \u201cMove at the Shed\u201d at the Salt Shed on Sept. 13, 2026. \u201cShe feels like a friend that you know from home,\u201d said attendee Natalie Dowdell.<\/p>\n

Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

The Pilates class was part of the Robbins native\u2019s latest venture, Practice by Palmer<\/a>, a digital wellness platform that provides workouts, recorded audio messages and live chats. Palmer, who got her start working with Chicago talent agencies, isn\u2019t the only millennial celebrity cultivating a fitness brand. Rapper Gunna has built a following with his global Wunna Run Club<\/a>, emcee ASAP Ferg is teaching cycling<\/a> and boot camp classes, and actress and singer Hilary Duff is the face of a \u201cstronger, not smaller\u201d campaign<\/a> for the Ladder workout app.<\/p>\n

In a cultural moment defined by the promotion of GLP-1\u2019s for weight loss, Palmer\u2019s brand is about building community and promoting mental and physical well-being rather than being thin.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody\u2019s body is beautiful,\u201d Palmer said during a fireside chat with ABC7 anchor Val Warner after her class. \u201cPilates is really just about being able to be mobile. It\u2019s not about having a six-pack. When you really get deep into your practice, the last thing you\u2019re worried about is how you look. You\u2019re really worried about how you feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"KEKEPILATES_260916-020.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Keke Palmer leads a Pilates class during \u201cMove at the Shed\u201d at the Salt Shed on Sept. 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

For Natalie Dowdell, 38, of Ravenswood, the class was \u201ca good mix\u201d of Keke\u2019s personality and a workout class.<\/p>\n

\u201dShe feels like a friend that you know from home,\u201d Dowdell said. \u201cAnything that she does, I\u2019m like, \u2018I gotta check it out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I be on my Tony Robbins?\u201d she said, referencing the famous motivational speaker.<\/p>\n

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, \u201cHow I Set Myself Free<\/a>,\u201d she is getting better at preventing burnout. Working since 11, she found herself in constant survival mode.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started so young,\u201d she said at the Salt Shed of a career that began with roles in \u201cAkeelah and the Bee\u201d and \u201cTrue Jackson VP\u201d on Nickelodeon, and grew to include starring roles in hit films such as \u201cNope\u201d and \u201cOne of Them Days.\u201d Her parents, who met working in Chicago\u2019s theater scene, supported her dreams. But she felt pressure to be the breadwinner at a young age.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo much of what I was doing was helping my family. We were getting out of poverty. Scarcity is really scary. Everything feels like you\u2019re a second away from losing it. That\u2019s trauma. And it took me years to understand what was driving me.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"KEKEPILATES_260916-001.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Salt Shed Alternative Events Manager Mary McKeen organizes the annual \u201cMove at the Shed\u201d exercise festival at the Salt Shed. <\/p>\n

Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

Palmer\u2019s message resonated with Salt Shed alternative programming manager Mary McKeen, who was looking for \u201crare and unexpected\u201d experiences for \u201cMove at the Shed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is so inspirational,\u201d McKeen said. \u201cKeke is all about finding ways to remember to take care of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the attendees in Palmer\u2019s class were women in their 20s and 30s who have been following the Emmy-winner for years.<\/p>\n

For Keralynn Little, seeing someone onscreen who looked like her was \u201cpivotal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere weren\u2019t a lot of Black girls in movies with lead roles,\u201d said Little, 29, of River West. \u201cI\u2019ve been a fan ever since. And then I love fitness. So the fact that she got into fitness, it kind of feels like she\u2019s growing up with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ines Herrera praised Palmer for being \u201cauthentically herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"KEKEPILATES_260916-013.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Ines Herrera exercises in Keke Palmer\u2019s Pilates class during \u201cMove at the Shed\u201d at the Salt Shed on Sept. 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n

\u201cI just love what she stands for,\u201d said Herrera, 26, of Lincoln Square. \u201cSo when this came about, I was just like, \u2018I\u2019m gonna be here. I\u2019m gonna be in the front row.\u2019 And she may never know who I am, but I\u2019m still a dedicated fan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jennifer Hill, a 62-year-old Pilates instructor, said she attended the class to observe Palmer\u2019s style and sequence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a mass group, you\u2019ve got to be able to tailor to what everyone wants and needs, without being able to see and know the bodies,\u201d said Hill, of South Shore. \u201cShe was able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hill also said her daughter was a fan of \u201cAkeelah and the Bee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an empowering movie,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd [Keke] is continuing to do that now \u2014 empowering people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Garth Walker also stopped by to present the star with a resolution proclaiming Sept. 13 \u201cPractice by Palmer Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"KEKEPILATES_260916-025.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Attendees exercise in Keke Palmer\u2019s Pilates class Sunday during \u201cMove at the Shed\u201d at the Salt Shed.<\/p>\n

Candace Dane Chambers\/Sun-Times<\/p>\n