Martial arts

The East Asia Program has a series of events on campus Oct. 26-28 on the theme "Martial Arts in Performance, Health and Practice," all free and open to the public.

A dance performance excerpt of Beijing Opera's "Uproar in Heaven" is Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in Barnes Hall Auditorium. Based on the Chinese classical novel "Journey to the West," the play depicts the Monkey King destroying Heaven's palaces and defeating the Jade Emperor's guard. The martial arts elements make the play one of the most popular in the Beijing Opera repertoire.

A talk by associate professor of history T.J. Hinrichs, "From Beijing Opera to Film: Martial Choreography and the Power of Fantasy and Humor," follows a screening of the film "Painted Faces," Oct. 27, 7-9:30 p.m., in the Robert Purcell Community Center (RPCC) auditorium.

Oct. 27 events also include a tour of preserved martial arts artifacts, 10:30 a.m. at the Johnson Museum, and demonstrations of traditional Japanese weapon systems, 1 p.m. at RPCC, with a professional instructor and student organizations centered on karate, kendo, aikido and judo.

On Oct. 28, Michael Costello of Cayuga Medical Center Physical Therapy and Cayuga Martial Arts discusses "Taiji Practice for Low Back Pain and Arthritis," 11 a.m. in 203 RPCC, followed at noon by Qigong and Taiji (Tai Chi) demonstrations and discussion of their health benefits.

Information: http://eap.einaudi.cornell.edu/.

Art and human nature

Teatrotaller presents "Imposibilitados," written and performed by actor José Miguel Hernández Hurtado, Oct. 27 at 9:30 p.m., and an Acting Workshop with Alex Symes '10, Oct. 28, 2:30-5:30 p.m. Both events are in Willard Straight Theatre.

The theatrical performance Oct. 27 combines music, dance and art to explore the complexity of human nature, and is inspired by the paintings of Abisay Puentes, who collaborated with Hurtado. Admission is $5.

Symes, a co-creator of Teatrotaller's Cornell production of "Adult Roy's Badland: A Rave Play" in March 2012, will discuss a trip to UNESCO's 2012 World Festival of Theatre Schools in Bucharest, Romania, to reprise the play in September. The workshop will focus on techniques in physicality and structured improvisation learned in master classes at the festival.

Teatrotaller promotes and preserves Spanish, Latin American and Latino cultures through theater. Its next production is Gustavo Ott's "Dos Amores y un Bicho (Two Loves and a Creature)," Nov. 16-17, 8 p.m., in Risley Theatre. Information: http://courses.cit.cornell.edu/span3010/.

Sculpting sound

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art and the Department of Music present "Look and Listen" Oct. 28 at 3 p.m., with the Cornell Avant Garde Ensemble (CAGE) performing at the museum and highlighting sounding/tonal sculptures by Harry Bertoia. Free and open to the public.

Produced by the Cornell Contemporary Chamber Players, the event features new works and installations by doctoral composers reflecting specific art pieces and spaces throughout the museum. "Harry Bertoia: Sound and Vision" is on display through Dec. 23 in the Bowers Gallery.

The museum also presents "A Grand Tour of Rome," Nov. 2, 6-8:30 p.m., an evening of art, music, literature and food centered on the exhibition "Mirror of the City: The Printed View of Italy and Beyond, 1450-1940." Princeton University art history professor John Pinto will give a talk on "The Most Glorious Place in the Universal World: Rome in the Age of the Grand Tour." $35, $25 museum members, $15 students. Seating is limited. Registration and payment are requested by Oct. 26; call 607-255-6464.

First in class

The Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives presents "First in Class," an informal round-table discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with being a first-generation college student, Oct. 29, 3-5 p.m. in Rockefeller Hall's fourth-floor conference room.

First-generation students, staff and faculty will have an opportunity to network and build support and fellowship at Cornell and beyond. Juliette Corazón, Latina/o student success adviser in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Catherine Thrasher-Carroll, mental health promotion coordinator at Gannett Health Services, will facilitate the discussion. Light refreshments will be served. RSVPs are appreciated at lrm223@cornell.edu .

Digital humanities - CANCELED

Cathy Davidson of Duke University will give a lecture, "Now You See It: How the Future of Higher Education Demands a Paradigm Shift," in the Digital Humanities Lecture Series, Oct. 30 at 4:30 p.m. in the A.D. White House's Guerlac Room. Free.

Davidson is the Ruth F. Devarney Professor of English at Duke University and a professor of interdisciplinary studies with Duke's John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute. Her talk is co-sponsored with the Central New York Humanities Corridor.

'Faust' for Halloween

Cornell Cinema and the Department of Music present a Halloween screening of F.W. Murnau's classic 1926 horror-fantasy film "Faust," Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. in Sage Chapel. Free and open to the public.

"Faust" tells the tale of Mephisto tempting the devout alchemist Faust with promises of youth, love and power in exchange for his soul. The event features live score accompaniment by the Filmharmonia Duo -- Dennis James on pipe organ and theremin and Mark Goldstein on electronic Lightning Wands.

Presented in association with "Improvisation in Theory and Practice," a project co-sponsored by the Mellon Humanities Corridor. Patrons are welcome to bring cushions for seating in the pews.

Election talk

Glenn Altschuler, the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell, will give a talk on the 2012 election Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. in the auditorium at Kendal at Ithaca. Open to the public. Sponsored by Cornell Campus Club.

Altschuler will assess the races for president, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, analyze the campaigns, deconstruct the issues and predict the winners.