Keke Palmer Tips Off the WNBA Footworkin’ Summer Concert Tour
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Chicago native, Palmer goes home for special performance at Chicago Sky game on June 23
NEW YORK, NY – Critically acclaimed actress and singer, Keke Palmer is teaming up with the WNBA to perform at 13 games throughout the summer. The star of "Akeelah and the Bee" and Disney's "Jump In!," and winner of the coveted Best Actress Award at this year’s NAACP Image Awards, Palmer will perform songs from her upcoming debut album “SO UNCOOL” (Atlantic Records) featuring her first single “Footworkin’.” Halftime or post-game performances will take place in each of the WNBA's 13 arenas, offering fans a special chance to check out her songs before the album’s release in September 2007.
Palmer’s hit “Footworkin’” also appears in promotional spots produced by NBA Entertainment, featuring Palmer and her dancers along with WNBA game action. The spots will air in each WNBA market leading up to local concerts.
“The WNBA delivers family-friendly entertainment in arena, on TV and throughout local communities, so teaming up with Keke was a natural fit,” said Andi Poch, WNBA Senior Vice President, Marketing Partnerships & Business Development. “Like WNBA players, Keke is not only a tremendous talent but an inspiration to young people and encourages them to follow their dreams.”
In addition to the concert tour, Palmer has partnered with the 2007 WNBA BE Tour to help promote healthy living among youth. The league’s mobile fitness expo, traveling to WNBA markets through the summer, offers fans a variety of interactive activities including basketball, fitness and nutrition clinics, and player appearances. Palmer will visit the BE Tour at two upcoming stops -- New York on July 7 at the South Street Seaport and Detroit on August 26 at the Michigan State Fair -- to perform and sign autographs. BE Tour performances are free to the public.
“I love singing and acting but I’m already 5’6” and I’m only 13 so I’m keeping my options open by hanging with the WNBA!,” said Palmer.
A Chicago native, Palmer’s first concert is set to take place during halftime of the Chicago Sky vs. Washington Mystics game on June 23, at the UIC Pavilion. Below is the full schedule of Palmer’s WNBA game and BE Tour performances:
June 23 - Washington Mystics @ Chicago Sky – UIC Pavilion
July 7 - BE Tour – South Street Seaport, New York
July 11 - Connecticut Sun @ Sacramento Monarchs – ARCO Arena
July 18 - Chicago Sky @ Indiana Fever – Conseco Fieldhouse
July 20 - Washington Mystics @ Minnesota Lynx – Target Center
July 29 - Los Angeles Sparks @ Detroit Shock – The Palace of Auburn Hills
July 31 - Chicago Sky @ Connecticut Sun – Mohegan Sun Arena
August 2 - Minnesota Lynx @ New York Liberty – Madison Square Garden
August 3 - New York Liberty @ Washington Mystics – Verizon Center
August 7 - Phoenix Mercury @ Los Angeles Sparks – STAPLES Center
August 9 - Sacramento Monarchs @ San Antonio Silver Stars – AT&T Center
August 10 - Sacramento Monarchs @ Houston Comets – Toyota Center
August 11 - Los Angeles Sparks @ Phoenix Mercury – US Airways Center
August 26 - BE Tour – Michigan State Fair, Detroit
About Keke Palmer
Born Lauren Keyana Palmer in Robbins, IL, a small town just outside Chicago, Palmer began her career in acting at the age of 8. In 2004, Palmer made her big screen debut opposite Queen Latifah in the hit film Barbershop 2: Back in Business. In 2006, Keke appeared as the lead character, Akeelah Anderson, in the critically acclaimed, award-winning film Akeelah and the Bee. Palmer went on to win the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and a ShoWest Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in Akeelah. Keke also holds the record as the youngest actress to be nominated in the coveted Lead Acting category for the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) Awards. Shortly thereafter, Keke appeared in Tyler Perry's Medea's Family Reunion, which was number #1 at the box office for two consecutive weeks. She next lit up the small screen with her starring role in the Disney Channel hit movie, Jump In! In addition to all of Keke's acting fetes, she is set to debut her first solo album through Atlantic Records. Her debut album, "SO UNCOOL" will hit stores in September. The album, which Palmer co-wrote material, is jammed with the kind of music that Keke loves, ranging from up-tempo R&B tracks to inspirational songs to youthful, fun material that kids can relate to.
