Perspectives in motion

Original choreography by Cornell students is showcased in the Fall Dance Theatre Concert, Dec. 3-5 at 8 p.m. in the Class of '56 Dance Theatre at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 403 College Ave. Tickets are $5 at the door and $4 in advance, available at the box office (607-254-ARTS) from 12:30-5:30 p.m. weekdays, or at http://www.schwartztickets.com.

The show is an extension of creative work done in dance composition classes. The subtitle of the program, "… dance is a point of view …," is taken from a description of modern dance in the early 1930s by John Martin, The New York Times' first dance critic.

Martin's words "continue to reflect the many different ways of seeing dance," says the show's director, senior dance lecturer Jumay Chu. "What is dance? Is abstract dance meaningless? Is jazz dance merely entertainment? Is dramatic dance theater? Is hip-hop political or fun? Is one kind more valuable than another? The Fall Dance Theatre Concert offers many ways of dancing. Come and find your own point of view."

The performance contains adult language. Student choreographers featured include Ivette Villalba, Emma Carlsson, Danielle Diniz, Sam Keller, Claire Babilonia, Virginia Cromwell, Evelyn Chan, Debbie Schneider, Dayna Schwartz and Alexandra Harlig.

Alternative giving

The Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair will be held Saturday, Dec. 5, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at two locations: First Presbyterian Church, 315 N. Cayuga St., and First Baptist Church, 309 N. Cayuga St.

Cornell's Center for Transformative Action and Tompkins Community Action co-sponsor the annual event, which provides shoppers with an alternative to material gift giving and gives young people a new perspective on giving. The fair combines end-of-year charitable donations and holiday shopping, supporting more than 55 participating local nonprofit organizations and the people they serve.

Online shopping is available Dec. 6-20. For more information, visit http://www.ithacaaltgiftfair.org. The Center for Transformative Action is located in 117 Anabel Taylor Hall.

Holiday art party

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art invites the community to celebrate the season at its annual Holiday Party, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2-4 p.m. The free event features live musical performances, refreshments, art activities and a guest of honor in a red-and-white suit. A free shuttle bus from Cornell's A Lot will run from 1:30 to 4:15 p.m.

Current exhibitions at the Johnson include "Peggy Preheim: Little Black Book"; "Carved on Copper: Renaissance Engravers"; film and video art by Gordon Matta-Clark and Omer Fast; "Africana Center 40th Anniversary"; and "Cornell Art Faculty."

Student films

Cornell Cinema will show new work by 12 student filmmakers in "Student Films I," Sunday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Willard Straight Theater. The diverse, two-hour program will be video-projected and features the creative talents of students in the course Film 3770: Introduction to 16mm and Digital Filmmaking, taught by lecturer Marilyn Rivchin and media assistant Randy Hendrickson.

The filmmakers are Linda Barsi, Caitlin Cowie, Oliver Dudman, Daniel Fipphen, Meagen Flaherty, Stephen Guilbert, George Moujaes, Jacob Moskow, Ashley Mullen, Christine Nelson, Benjamin Preston and Mario Rodriguez.

"Student Films II" will screen Sunday, Dec. 13, at 7:30 p.m., with narrative film and HD video projects from the intermediate production course Film 4780 and selected work from a summer animation course.

Cornell Cinema also offers several Ithaca premieres this week, including the neo-New Wave hipster love story "Unmade Beds," Dec. 4-12; and two recent animated features -- "Lotte from Gadgetville," Dec. 5 at 2 p.m., as part of the Ithakid Film Festival, and "Mary and Max," Dec. 3-8, with the voices of Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Eric Bana. Also showing: Quentin Tarantino's WWII epic "Inglourious Basterds," Dec. 4-12; Ridley Scott's director's cut of "Alien," Dec. 4-5; and an entertaining look at political prankster-activism in "The Yes Men Fix the World," Dec. 3-6.

Agribusiness conference

Steven Kyle, associate professor of applied economics and management, will provide an economic prognosis for the coming year at Cornell's 2009 Agribusiness Economic Outlook Conference.

The conference, "Agricultural Economy in an Uncertain Financial and Regulatory Environment," will be held Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in David L. Call Alumni Auditorium, Kennedy Hall. Registration opens at 9 a.m. and the cost is $80, $30 for Cornell and Cornell Cooperative Extension staff.

The conference, sponsored by the Department of Applied Economics and Management (AEM), is intended for agribusiness professionals, industrial leaders, policymakers, educators and farm managers. Other plenary speakers include AEM associate professors Brent Gloy, "Financial Uncertainty: What it Means for the Agricultural Economy"; and Antonio Bento, "The Future of New York Agriculture in the New Carbon Constrained Economy." For information, contact Carol Thomson at 607-255-5464 or cmt8@cornell.edu or visit http://aem.cornell.edu/outreach/conferences/economic_outlook.htm.