The first thing you’ll notice about obé’s newest Kickboxing + Sculpt instructor April S. is her wide, beaming smile. Quite literally, she’s a ray of sunshine: fun, bubbly, and energetic. But she’s also tough and powerful, throwing high kicks in the air, putting her full body into that jab or lunge. And when you see her move, you can’t help but want to join in, too.
Born in Chicago, April grew up dancing from a young age—think: modern dance, jazz, hip hop, ballet, and African styles. As a professional, she’s graced the stage with icons like queen Beyoncé herself, and performed on stages small and large. But it’s fitness that helped her feel more supported and stronger in her dancing, and that’s the gift she wants to share with the obé family.
If you’re joining her boxing classes, prepare for a workout full of kicks and strength drills—a full-body cardio kickboxing boot camp, as she likes to call it. And if Sculpt is more your style, know that you’ll be moving through lots of flows and choreographed sequences, focusing on form and length. Through it all, April will bring motivation, playfulness, and a little bit of sass.
Get to know her below, and follow all her adventures at @flyapril_marie.
How’d you get into fitness?
As a dancer, I tend to be a powerful mover. When I was younger, I had to be careful not to injure myself. I ended up with a knee injury in high school, and that put me on the track of understanding recovery and taking care of my body. I didn’t yet have access to understand fitness and how it could complement my dancing or keep my body healthy. But it planted a seed. I kept having injury after injury and I thought, is my body broken?
Eventually, while dancing professionally, I finally went to a Barre studio as my introduction to fitness, thinking it was going to be easy because I danced. I took the class and my body was just shaking everywhere. I realized that the body conditioning I did in class helped me with dance. I felt more supported and stronger in my dancing, and my back pain started to go away.
That’s how I learned cross-training—in my case dance and fitness—helps our bodies stay healthy and supports our movements. I ended up also teaching Barre classes and gained an understanding of how to help both myself and my clients move through life healthfully. Of course, I train hard and want my clients to reach their goals, but more than anything I want to help support your movement patterns throughout the rest of your life—all the way to 100.
What are your Kickboxing and Sculpt classes like?
My Kickboxing classes are musically driven and a bit more choreographed because I’m a dancer. You can expect to hear the bass and for the music to be really motivating. They are also a bit more choreographed. I like to show you one side, give you time to learn it, then put it all together. In between, we’ll do some strength work—it can also be more HIIT style, where you’re doing drills, getting your heart rate up, and getting your muscles strong.
You’re going to get that full workout that you’re looking for! You’re going to sweat, you’re going to have fun, you’re going to feel badass. I also incorporate a lot of kicking. It’s definitely not a low-impact class—jumping, lunges, that’s on the menu. It’s a full-body cardio Kickboxing boot camp.
In my Sculpt classes, expect length, breaking down form and technique. I’m really focused on form—which can feel like rubbing your stomach and tapping your head, but I slow it down and make the movement accessible. It’s all because when we’re moving properly, our body is healthy, and we can prevent injury. I also love to incorporate flows and choreograph fun sequences.
How would you describe your teaching style?
I’m fun and energetic, but at the same time, I’m really coaching your mindset. Your strength starts in your mind and then it trickles into your body. Obviously, your body is super strong, and a lot of times we limit ourselves because we feel the intensity of the work. But if you can come out of your mind and just allow your body to show you how strong you are, you can go a lot further.
Part of my philosophy is understanding that fitness is a lifestyle. It’s a journey. I feel like the fitness industry is driven by results. But for me, the result is you showing up every day and leaving with your body tingling, feeling accomplished, and glad you arrived. In one word, mindfulness would describe my teaching style.
What advice would you give to women on their fitness journey?
Listen to your body. Your body will guide you through what it needs. A lot of times, we’ll get into a routine. And sometimes you do need to push past a limit, so stay consistent. If there are days where you’re just feeling exhausted, maybe taper it down, take it back a little bit. But keep showing up however you can.
I just started doing strength training two years ago and lifting heavier weights. Turns out, lifting and doing strength actually helps with hormonal balance, and just overall balance. If we’re feeling intimidated as women, now you have a lot more sisters in the gym lifting heavier and feeling super badass. You can complement that by doing Yoga, Pilates, or Sculpt to have a better-balanced workout.
Rather than looking at working out like a chore, try to approach it with mindfulness, and focus on the fact that you’ll feel so much better after you do the work. I know it sounds so cheesy. Most of the time, if you’re listening to your body, and what it needs—whether it’s stretching, strength, or whatever—you’re going to feel better after your workout.
How do you want people to feel after leaving your class?
I want people to leave class feeling proud of themselves for showing up, because that’s the hardest part. As adults, we talk ourselves out of everything. I want you to feel proud even if you didn’t feel like it was your best class. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as long as you show up and stay consistent.
Do you have a fitness mantra?
Breathe. That’s what I like to remind people of, because most of the time we’re holding our breath when we’re working out and we’re just muscling through it. That’s when it becomes a chore. Your body needs oxygen. So breathe!
Also—don’t take it so seriously. Just have fun. It’s okay if you don’t get it today, tomorrow will be a different story. If you’re shaking and burning, just know that means your body’s getting stronger. It’s not like you’re weak or failing. You can always take a break.
What’s your favorite part about being a Kickboxing + Sculpt fitness instructor?
Helping people. It gives me a reason to shift my energy. If I’m having a bad day, showing up for others and being in service to others changes everything for me. I realized I was drawn to performing because it allows me to escape and just be in the moment. In the same way, training allows me to show up and perform for others but also exchange energy.
Now let’s talk life!
What’s your go-to coffee or tea order?
Iced coffee with extra oat milk. And French vanilla. Or a matcha latte.
What is your go-to workout snack?
Smoothie!
Instant mood booster for you?
Good music.
What are some of your favorite artists?
I’ve been the same since 2005. Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Kanye West. I’ll throw in a lot of pop music because it’s high energy.
Favorite dance performance you’ve done?
I danced for Dark Twisted Fantasy, and we did the Essence Festival in New Orleans—it’s mostly black women flooding NOLA on a huge stage. I also performed with Beyoncé for Oprah, which was really cool because Beyoncé was in Chicago in the studio I grew up in. We were doing “Run the World (Girls)”, and the vibe was women empowerment. I cried in the studio and all the girls were like, “Are you okay?” It was just so overwhelming in the best way.
What are your hobbies?
My fiance and I have been traveling for two and a half year years and just got back to the States. We lived in Mexico for a year, Greece for two months, plus Thailand and Southeast Asia for a year. I love being around and learning about different cultures. We went to museums, ate the local food, and tried to immerse ourselves in the culture to understand and feel more connected.
What’s next on the travel wish list for you guys?
South Africa.
What does your day off look like?
I always have something going on! I love hanging out with my friends, but if they’re busy it would be going into the city, walking around, and getting coffee. Maybe taking a dance or yoga class. Maybe going to the museum or the park and enjoying my day, especially if the weather’s nice. If I’m in Chicago, I love to hang out with my family.
random fun fact about you?
When I was little, my cousin thought my name sounded like “egg roll,” so they adopted that as my nickname. Then it got reduced to Eggy. Then they started calling me Egg. Now, they added Egg Bert.
If you could only do one workout for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Yoga. You get some strength and stretching in there, but mostly it just feels good for the soul.
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