Minimalist dance by Pavel Zuštiak at the Walker

In today's image-obsessed world, does beauty really need defenders? Choreographer/director Pavel Zuštiak and his New York-based Palissimo Company think so. But they're not talking fashion magazines or celebrities. They're talking about humanity's deep-seated need for beauty. With minimalist dance movements, the performers' bodies become sculptures in the Midwest debut of "Custodians of Beauty," a piece commissioned by the Walker Art Center. The show features live music and perhaps a bit of audience participation to tackle age-old questions about beauty, art and truth. (8 p.m. Thu.-Sat., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $22, 612-375-7600, walkerart.org.)