Performing for an audience is exciting. Even nerve-wracking.

There’s something magical about that moment the crowd quiets and waits expectantly. All your hard work and preparation will soon be on display.

ULM students recently took the stage at the biannual Yapalooza to do just that: self-expression through performance.

The performing arts have been a medium of communication since people wrote on scrolls and drew water from communal wells.

It’s a space that allows personal expression in a way that isn’t always possible in a classroom or a public setting.

Just as Shakespeare compared life to a stage, so the stage illuminates life issues and brings both the performers and the audience together for a moment in time.

And yet, there are many of us afraid to perform to any audience other than an inanimate object like a shower curtain or steering wheel.

We are the shower singers, belting tunes like a rock star in private. We are the silent actors with constant banter flowing through our minds. We are the closet dancers. We wouldn’t dream of stepping on a real stage. Too scary. Too vulnerable.

But how often do we limit our ability? How often is the fear of failure the reason we never get on that stage.  Deep down, though,  we really want to.

ULM is rich with opportunities. Even if performing arts isn’t your thing, you know what is.

Don’t be afraid to let go of fear. Take a breath and make the leap. You’ll be amazed to see that actually, you can.