Sarah Quintana’s Love Letters of WWII with Mélange Dance Theatre at Library of Congress by Blythe

Love Letters of WWII

by Sarah Quintana (@sarahjanequintana)

Co-produced by Piment Rouge Production and Mélange Dance Theatre (@melangedancetheatre)

The Library of Congress (@librarycongress)

September 10th, 2026 at 6pm

Written by Blythe

You can learn more about Sarah Quintana‘s original songs (performed in English and French) here!

“Only love can console this poor world. Only love can set us free,” intones the narrator of “Love Letters of WWII” at the Library of Congress by New Orleans’ Mélange Dance Theatre. Played by Emily Thibodeaux, our narrator will be with us for the entire performance, patiently sitting upstage left against the wall, a box of old letters at her side. She pulls them from the box one by one, reading them aloud to us, sometimes in French, then translated into English. The show we’re about to see will cover the entire breadth of WWII but her steady presence buoys the show, providing a connecting thread for the audience to hang on amongst the twisting, overlapping storylines. 

What a treat to see dance at the Library of Congress, whose live programming is robust but is frequently music-only performances. The space is beautiful, a stage with amphitheater style seating and crown molding on the back wall. Against the back of the stage sits the instruments, waiting to be played, the tantalizing promise of live music accompaniment.

At the top of the show, we are introduced to Monica Mohindra, Director of the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress, who explains the origins of the work. Letters have been compiled and donated to the Library of Congress and we will now be treated to hearing these innermost thoughts of soldiers and civilians alike. Mohindra also encourages you to submit your own stories, your family’s stories—as long as you follow the Library of Congress guidelines that is. We meet Monica Ordoñez, the Artistic Director and choreographer, and settle in for “Love Letters of WWII.” 

Our main characters are Yvette and Roger, played by Adrienne Simmons and Cade Garafola, whose letters were shared with the Library of Congress by their granddaughter Julie. The dancers represent real people, who were in their teens at the start of World War II when Roger was enlisted to fight for France. This presents a unique challenge for dancers who are given the responsibility to portray loved ones and family. Their spritely, balletic movements showcase an enduring innocence in the face of adversity that is tarnished but never expunged by the horrors of war. 

Other seemingly real people are represented throughout the work. James, a soldier played by the immaculate Edward Spots, leaves his wife and mother to enlist, with hope that the cause of Black people in the United States will be furthered by their participation in the war. A Navy man played by Calvin James Rowe leaves his wife behind and eventually becomes a prisoner of war. A New Orleans native, played by Clinton Parfait, finds that his French language helps him connect to civilians across the ocean. A nurse in an all-female battalion is played by the captivating Natalie Sunseri. These—and many other—characters form the narrative backbone of the work, as we switch back and forth between their perspectives through their narrated letters. 

The choreography shifts its influences to fit the dancer, with some resting comfortably in a classic ballet aesthetic, while others are more influenced by jazz, contemporary and social dance. Each soloist’s style is slightly different; it’s clear the choreographer crafted their work to let each dancer shine. This creates an eclectic mix, spread across the massive cast of 22 dancers. At times, slipping through vernaculars can feel jarring and occasionally appropriative. But the work is well-rehearsed and consistently energetic. The dancers’ enthusiasm is infectious and seemingly inexhaustible throughout the nearly two-hour run time. In a relatively compact space, with only one wing on each side of the stage, the dancers nonetheless eat up space, whizzing onstage and off, creating a feeling of historical events passing by at a blinding clip. 

To costume a large cast is a challenge in itself but the sheer number of costumes is frankly astounding, with every permutation of dancer footwear imaginable. It’s a mix of designs, largely inspired by the time period, some clearly custom and some clearly from the closet. Each dancer has multiple costume changes throughout the work, some lasting for only one number. By the final number, the entire cast is in blue, presumably because the song mentions bluebirds. 

On this and on every level, the work is deeply literal. When the narrator reads the words of a letter, the dancers pull out a pencil and paper to mime writing. When the song speaks of prayer, the dancers drop to their knees with hands clasped, eyes plaintively cast heavenward. This leads to some moments of discomfort; when the story tells of French resistance fighters seducing Nazi soldiers to distract from their machinations, that means a dancer has to get dressed up in SS drag that doesn’t feel strictly necessary. But the crowd, which was responsive and clapped after each number, seemed to appreciate the more lyrical storytelling. 

The work is scored brilliantly by band leader Anna Laura Quinn, whose ensemble of nine musicians performs a mix of jazz standards and original music by Sarah Quintana. The music is performed beautifully throughout, supporting the dance without outshining it. Whether bopping along to “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” or crooning a French ballad, the band is adept, smoothly taking on the style and emotional tenor of each scene. The overall effect is seamless, confidently and stylishly leading us through the narrative. 

It seems that almost everyone in the ensemble can and does sing at some point—even the dancers! This was most successful when the lines between dancer and singer were blurred, as in the case of the captivating Hannah Alexis, who’s threaded throughout the work as all-purpose lounge singer. The work portrays the full spectrum of experiences in war, from French spies to clubbing GIs. The dancers mug their way through every number with bright, shining smiles, or exaggerated miens of despair. 

At times, the dancers were having so much fun that I forgot there was a war on at all. In one memorable moment, the music drops away, leaving only the sound of bodies on the floor as a quartet of soldiers roll, crawl, and fight their way through France. The sudden gap in the music underscores the stark realities of the war, as we watch the dancers throw themselves about the stage desperately. The dancers seem authentically weighed down by their responsibility, letting their bodies tell the story. 

But war or not, the core of the work is romance, which naturally leads to a lot of partnering. Our main couple are deceptive in their refined balletic sensibility with very heteronormative partnering to match. But as the work goes on, the partnering becomes much more fluid, with a number of inventive duets, trios and quartets. When Yvette and Roger finally reunite, their embrace is but another in a long line of duets they’ve shared throughout the work. 

At its heart, the work is first and foremost about love, love for each other and love for life itself. The work ends with every dancer holding up an artificially yellowed piece of paper with the word “love” written on it in fancy script, equal parts heavy-handed and charming. As I walked out to the view of the Capitol in the fading light, I was struck by how important that message is, now more than ever. 

Blythe (she/they) (@akblythe) serves the Washington, DC creative community as a multidisciplinary artist and designer. Classically trained in ballet, Blythe first experienced modern dance and contact improvisation in college. Their dance films have been featured in the Liminal Dance Film Festival, Dance Place Dance on Film Festival, 38th Annual Choreographer’s Showcase, CAPITOL Dance & Cinema Festival, FROSTBITE International Indie Fest, and Dumbo Film Festival. Blythe’s photography has been featured in The Washington Post, Financial Times, Washingtonian, and East City Art! You can read more about Blythe on our STAFF page!