Artistic movement

Students and faculty will present a diverse program of original dance works in the Fall Dance Theatre Concert, Dec. 1-3 at the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, 430 College Ave.

The concert features dances by theatre, film and dance faculty Jumay Chu and Byron Suber, as well as works by seven student choreographers. The program includes solo pieces, duets, trios and group performances in a wide range of music and dance styles, focusing on modern and postmodern dance, with some hip-hop thrown into the mix.

All performances are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5, available at the Schwartz Center box office (weekdays), by calling 607-254-ARTS or online at http://www.schwartztickets.com.

Christmas Vespers

The Sage Chapel Christmas Vespers program, a popular annual holiday tradition on campus, will be presented twice -- Sunday and Monday, Dec. 4-5, at 7:30 p.m., featuring the Cornell University Chorus and Glee Club and guest organist Mariko Morita. Admission is free and early arrival is recommended.

The chapel will be decked with trees and greens and lit by candlelight for the lessons and carols service, with songs of the Advent and Christmas seasons, traditional readings by members of the Cornell community and audience participation on familiar Christmas hymns including "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "Silent Night," "Angels We Have Heard on High," "Joy to the World" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful." Choral selections will include "And the Glory of the Lord" from Handel's "Messiah" and three movements from Rachmaninoff's "All-Night Vigil" (or "Vespers").

Musical reflections

In addition to Christmas Vespers, the Department of Music presents seven other programs this week. All events are free and open to the public.

The Cornell University Chorale performs music by Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Joni Mitchell and others in "We Can Remember All the Good Things You Are," a musical reflection on the state of America a decade after 9/11, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. in Sage Chapel.

A Sound Art Forum, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. in B20 Lincoln Hall, features music by student composers, in conjunction with the Cornell Electroacoustic Music Center. Also, the Cornell University Jazz Band performs with guest trombonist Bret Zvacek, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. in Barnes Hall.

Other events feature student piano and vocal recitals, and Cornell jazz, avant-garde and gamelan ensembles. Information: http://music.cornell.edu.

Journeys on film

Cornell Cinema will wrap up its 2011 Ithakid Film Fest with two area premieres: "Turtle: The Incredible Journey," Dec. 3 at 2 p.m., and "Eleanor's Secret," Dec. 10-11. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for children age 12 and under.

"Turtle" is an award-winning, kid-friendly documentary narrated by Miranda Richardson, following an endangered loggerhead turtle's journey from Florida across the Atlantic Ocean and back to her nesting ground. In "Eleanor's Secret," directed by animator Dominique Monfery, a boy embarks on an adventure with storybook characters come to life as they rescue his late Aunt Eleanor's books.

Big Red Showcase

The National Society of Minorities in Hospitality (NSMH) will host The Big Red Showcase, Dec. 2, 8-11 p.m. in Statler Auditorium. The event celebrates the diverse talent on campus with participants performing in five main categories: music, dance, comedy, spoken word and cultural spirit. Winners in each category will receive a prize and be eligible to be the grand-prize winner selected by the audience.

The showcase theme is a Hollywood premiere, with a red carpet, a free reception with gourmet food and $1 mocktails from 8 to 8:45 p.m., a backdrop for photographs and volunteer paparazzi snapping pictures of guests throughout the evening that will be uploaded to the NSMH Facebook page after the event.

Admission is free, and donations will be accepted for flood victims in Owego, including canned food, blankets, clothing or anything beneficial to the victims.

The National Society of Minorities in Hospitality is a student-run nonprofit professional trade organization founded at Cornell in 1989, now encompassing chapters at more than 50 schools across the nation.

Outdoor gear sale

Looking for a deal on used gear for camping, cycling, climbing, skiing or paddling? Want to sell some of your own gear? Cornell Outdoor Education (COE) will hold its used gear sale, Dec. 3 from 9 a.m. to noon in Bartels Hall. COE also is accepting consignments in the days before the sale; contact the Outfitting Department at 607-255-1807 or brb4@cornell.edu.

Do your holiday shopping the sustainable way by purchasing used gear including canoes, kayaks, bikes, tents, backpacks, stoves, rain gear, paddles, outerwear, skis, snowshoes and climbing equipment. Tickets for the 2012 Banff Mountain Film Festival in Ithaca also will be available at a special one-day sale price. Information: http://www.coe.cornell.edu.

Town-gown recognition

Cornell's Office of Community Relations will host the inaugural Town-Gown Awards and Recognition Ceremony honoring collaborations and community leaders, Dec. 3 from 10:30 a.m. to noon in the College of Veterinary Medicine's Law Auditorium. Open to the public.

The informal event will highlight notable Cornell-community partnerships and recognize top elected or professional local leaders who have left or will be leaving their posts. President David Skorton will speak on "The Importance of Town-Gown Relations."

The event is supported by community and campus partners the United Way of Tompkins County, the county's Human Services Coalition and Chamber of Commerce, the Cornell Public Service Center, Employee Assembly and the Cornell Commitment.

Museum holiday

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art invites the community to celebrate at its annual holiday party, Dec. 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. The party will feature performances, activities for families and refreshments. Free and open to the public.

Games people play

Meet the game designers and engineers of tomorrow and play new computer games at the Game Design Initiative at Cornell (GDIAC) Showcase, Dec. 10 from 2 to 5 p.m. in Carpenter Hall's ACCEL computing labs. Free and open to the public.

Typically held in the spring, the annual computer game showcase has been moved to the fall this academic year due to course rescheduling. The event will feature social games to play with friends on Facebook and games for a wide variety of platforms including PCs, the iPad, mobile devices and smartphones. All games were developed by Cornell students in the courses CIS 3000 (Introduction to Computer Game Design) and CIS 4002 (Advanced Projects in Computer Game Design) and as independent student projects.

Information: http://gdiac.cis.cornell.edu/.