Media Contact:
Scott Tilton, Co-founder and Co-Director
(504) 470-5619 | scott@nous-foundation.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nous to Bring Louisiana Dance Production Love Letters of WWII to the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Veterans History Project invites Mélange Dance Theater to present acclaimed Louisiana-made performance in Washington, D.C.
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Foundation for Francophone Cultures (Nous) is proud to announce that, upon invitation from the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress, its 2025–2026 Le Lab laureates, Mélange Dance Theater, will bring their acclaimed production Love Letters of WWII to Washington, D.C. for a special presentation at the Library of Congress on September 10, 2026.
Blending dance, theater, and original music, Love Letters of WWII tells the moving true story of Yvette and Roger, a young French couple separated during the Nazi occupation of France. The production also shines a light on the remarkable French-speaking American soldiers from Louisiana — affectionately known as “Frenchies” — who served as interpreters and cultural intermediaries for the Allies during World War II.
The production represents a major national staging of a Louisiana-created work rooted in the state’s Francophone heritage and wartime history. Choreographed by Monica Ordoñez with original music by acclaimed musician Sarah Quintana, the work brings together movement, live performance, and historical storytelling to explore love, resilience, language, and memory during wartime.
“We are deeply honored that the Library of Congress and the Veterans History Project recognized the importance of this story,” said Scott Bazenet-Tilton, Executive Director and co-founder of Nous. “This production reflects a lesser-known chapter of American and Louisiana history, while also demonstrating the extraordinary creativity emerging from Louisiana’s contemporary cultural scene.”
“We created Love Letters of WWII to honor both intimate human stories and the overlooked histories,” said Monica Ordoñez, choreographer and founder of Mélange Dance Theater. “It is incredibly meaningful for us to bring this Louisiana production at the Library of Congress and to celebrate the French-speaking soldiers from Louisiana whose language and cultural heritage became instrumental to the Allied war effort.” – Monica Ordoñez, founding artistic director at Mélange.
Mélange Dance Theater joined Nous’s Le Lab cultural accelerator program as part of the 2025–2026 cohort. Through Le Lab, Nous supports innovative Louisiana artists and cultural producers working to preserve and expand the state’s heritage cultures through contemporary artistic creation.
Before traveling to Washington, audiences in New Orleans will have the opportunity to experience an exclusive preview of Love Letters of WWII during Nous’s fifth anniversary gala, La Nuit Américaine, taking place on Friday, May 8, 2026, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm at the historic Pitot House along Bayou St. John.
“Bringing a Louisiana-made production into the halls of the Library of Congress is a tremendous milestone — not only for Mélange Dance Theater, but for the broader recognition of Louisiana’s Francophone cultures on the national stage,” said Rudy Bazenet-Tilton, Head Curator and cofounder of Nous.
A promotional video for Love Letters of WWII can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LQHBSATynNBWjBp7_PGp-blCrlbxdKzr/view?usp=sharing
More information and gala tickets are available at: https://www.nous-foundation.org/gala
About Nous
The New Orleans Foundation for Francophone Cultures (Nous) is a Louisiana-based nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Louisiana’s Francophone and Creolophone heritage cultures through exhibitions, artistic production, scholarship, and public humanities programming. In partnership with the Historic New Orleans Collection, Nous recently opened a new cultural center and French-language bookstore in the French Quarter