Back when the U.S. knew how to treat prisoners.

Choreographer and educator Diane Dragone mines her cultural heritage in the film Caven Point, currently on tour with the 2005 Dance on Camera Festival. The artistic director of The Kennedy Dancers made a dance from stories told by her mother, who was an Italian language interpreter at a top-secret camp for Italian prisoners of World War II at Caven Point, Jersey City. While American men were fighting overseas, the Italian prisoners stepped in to replace them as workers on the farm, in the home, and on construction crews in the New Jersey community. Saturday night dances held at the prison camp became a flash point for romance and cultural clash that Dragone illustrated in her piece by mixing swing and Italian folk dance. With her husband, film director Tom Horan, Dragone has adapted the performance for the docu-drama.

The Kennedy Dancers have a community school offering ballet, modern, and tap, as well as hip hop, salsa, tango, and swing dance. The 11-member group performs a season each year in Jersey City and tours the mid-Atlantic states. The film and accompanying study guide are available at www.kennedydancers.org.