This article contributes to an emerging academic dialogue about teaching aerial dance. As aerial dance in higher education has become more widespread, institutions and instructors must evaluate both the risks and benefits of implementing these programs. Although the inherent risk of aerial dance may invite some skepticism, the authors propose that risk can be managed within a framework of best practices that are modeled and explicitly taught by a qualified instructor. In the well-managed aerial dance classroom, risk provides unique learning opportunities for students, namely the cultivation of responsibility. While this article is practical in nature, it is not a "how-to" for the implementation of an aerial arts program in a university setting. Rather, the authors seek to illuminate pedagogical benefits that they have witnessed through the inclusion of aerial dance curriculum in higher education dance programs and suggest that these concepts integrate into the larger context of students' lives.