Aerial Anatomy Body Basics

In this course we begin with the basics. This makes sure we are all speaking the same language and wil help you understand the body fundamentals and how the tissues of the body work together. You will learn the vocabulary needed to appreciate the layers of muscle and movement of your body in the air. We answer questions including:

Why does your elbow move differently than your wrist?

How do muscles work?

How are tendons different than ligaments?

What is proximal stability?

What the heck are those fancy anatomy words and why are the concepts important to how you move?


Your Instructor


Dr. Emily Scherb
Dr. Emily Scherb

Dr. Emily Scherb is a physical therapist with a lifelong passion for understanding human movement.

She’s been a practicing aerialist for almost 30 years and has dangled from balloons, danced in the air, and swung from trapezes. That background inspired her to specialize her practice on circus and aerial artists. She has a proven track record of helping patients who have not seen results with traditional physical therapy due to her unique perspective on how the body works both on the ground and in the air.

As an educator, she travels the country teaching circus artists, instructors, and healthcare professionals about the unique physical demands and challenges of training the body to do incredible feats.

She received her graduate degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and now lives in Seattle, where she works with professional and pre-professional circus artists through her positions as Resident Physical Therapist at the School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts and as the Company Physical Therapist for the contemporary circus company Acrobatic Conundrum.

Her first book, Applied Anatomy of Aerial Artists was released in August 2018


Course Curriculum



Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
You will have 6 months from the start of the course to work on the exercises with the video tutorials. After that, you will still have your personal videos and your assessments of each group of exercises.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 15 days and we will give you a full refund.

Get started now!