Clara Helm

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Clara Helm began her aerial journey with Ferree Aerial Silks in September 2022. Now a 10th-grade student, Clara has grown alongside the studio, witnessing owner and instructor Arisa Ferree build Ferree Aerial Silks into the studio and aerial family it is today.

 

Coming from seven years of competitive gymnastics, Clara entered aerial silks with an already strong foundation in strength, flexibility, body awareness, and performance. Her transition into the air came naturally, and her talent was apparent early on. But it wasn't talent alone that made Clara stand out.

 

From the beginning, Clara has been exceptionally coachable, hardworking, and willing to learn. She takes initiative, accepts corrections, asks questions, and genuinely wants to understand not only how a skill works, but how to perform it safely and well. She has the kind of passion and work ethic that cannot simply be taught.

 

Those qualities made it an easy decision for Arisa to take Clara under her wing and begin introducing her to the other side of aerial silks—the responsibility that comes with coaching, supporting other students, maintaining a safe training environment, and helping create the kind of community Ferree Aerial Silks stands for.

 

Clara has a natural theatrical quality to her performances and a strong creative instinct. She enjoys building sequences and has an ability to take choreography, make it her own, and add the small details and personal touches that turn a collection of skills into a performance. She is self-aware, responsible, receptive to new ideas, and takes aerial safety seriously.

 

For Clara, however, aerial silks has become about much more than what she can accomplish in the air.

 

“The thing I love most about aerial silks is the community built around it. I love performing, learning, making sequences, coaching, doing drops, spins, splits, and everything in between—but the best feeling is having a second family that goes along with it. When I am sad and I go to silks, it cheers me up. If I have zero motivation, someone will always be there to push me. There is ALWAYS someone to lean on at Ferree Aerial Silks.”

 

That perspective represents an important part of what we hope to pass on to our young instructors and leaders at Ferree Aerial Silks. Learning to coach isn't simply about knowing how to teach a skill. It's about learning how to encourage someone, recognize when they need support, prioritize their safety, celebrate their progress, and help create an environment where every student feels like they belong.

 

Before aerial silks, Clara spent seven years in competitive gymnastics and five years playing trumpet, including two years in marching band. Her years of athletic, competitive, and performance experience continue to influence the aerialist and young coach she is becoming.

 

After high school, Clara hopes to continue her aerial career in some form, whether through a college aerial or circus program, a studio near the college she attends, or by continuing at Ferree Aerial Silks if she remains close to home. Professionally, she is interested in pursuing a career in the medical field.

 

Clara started here as a young student learning the ropes. Today, she is beginning to learn what it means to be on the other side of them—helping the next student discover the same confidence, passion, community, and sense of belonging that aerial silks gave to her.