A Pilates class with jokes

Keke Palmer's mat class ran casual and conversational. She cracked jokes between leg stretches, and the room laughed as much as it worked.

Nearly 250 people showed up

The class filled the Salt Shed on Sunday as part of the second annual exercise festival Move at the Shed.

Hot pink and green light

The 33-year-old actress, singer and host wore hot pink leggings and a matching top, and complimented the room's tranquil green lighting from the stage.

She sang her own playlist

The background music was a playlist of songs from her albums, and she occasionally sang along while leading hip rolls and squats.

Practice by Palmer

The class promoted her digital wellness platform, which offers workouts, recorded audio messages and live chats with her.

A millennial celebrity trend

She is not alone. Gunna runs the global Wunna Run Club, ASAP Ferg teaches cycling and boot camp, and Hilary Duff fronts a "stronger, not smaller" campaign for Ladder.

Against the GLP-1 moment

With weight-loss drugs dominating the conversation, Palmer's pitch is community and mental and physical well-being instead of thinness.

Not about a six-pack

In a fireside chat with ABC7 anchor Val Warner, Palmer said mobility is the point and how you feel matters more than how you look.

“Everybody's body is beautiful. Pilates is really just about being able to be mobile.”

Like a friend from home

Natalie Dowdell, 38, of Ravenswood, called the class a good mix of Keke's personality and a real workout, and said she checks out anything Palmer does.

“She feels like a friend that you know from home.”

It started after her son

Palmer picked up Pilates after giving birth in 2023, then decided she wanted to move past personal practice and give something back.

“How can I be on my Tony Robbins?”

Working since she was 11

A career that began with "Akeelah and the Bee" and "True Jackson VP" left her in constant survival mode. Her recent TED Talk covers how she is learning to prevent burnout.

Scarcity as trauma

Her parents, who met in Chicago theater, backed her dreams, but she felt pressure to be the breadwinner early while the family climbed out of poverty.

“Scarcity is really scary. Everything feels like you're a second away from losing it. That's trauma.”

Booked as the unexpected

Salt Shed programming manager Mary McKeen wanted rare and unexpected experiences for the festival, and said Palmer is all about remembering to take care of yourself.

Fans who grew up with her

Most attendees were women in their 20s and 30s. Keralynn Little, 29, said seeing a Black girl in lead roles mattered, and that Palmer feels like she is growing up alongside them.

“So the fact that she got into fitness, it kind of feels like she's growing up with us.”

Front row, unknown, devoted

Ines Herrera, 26, of Lincoln Square, praised Palmer for being authentically herself and claimed a front row spot.

“And she may never know who I am, but I'm still a dedicated fan.”

A pro sized her up

Jennifer Hill, a 62-year-old Pilates instructor, came to study the sequence and said Palmer managed to tailor a mass class to bodies she could not see or know.

The city made it official

Chicago Public Health Commissioner Garth Walker presented Palmer with a resolution proclaiming Sept. 13 "Practice by Palmer Day."

Still empowering people

Hill's daughter loved "Akeelah and the Bee" years ago. Hill said Palmer is doing the same thing now, just in a different room.

“It was an empowering movie. And [Keke] is continuing to do that now.”