preserving the past
I think both the Cambodian dance and the job of a curator represent different aspects, and possibly struggles and tensions of, preserving the past through art. Seeing a Cambodian dance was definitely a unique experience and different from anything else I have ever seen. It really does give you a sense of another culture and a history that and rich life that is behind it, watching the dance can transport you back into the past - the only problem is that simply watching the dance isn’t enough to preserve the culture and give over a message about what the culture is all about, but it is much more effective than just reading a text book, because really experiencing something as opposed to just storing the knowledge in your brain really enriches your understanding.
A museum curator also has a similar task of revitalizing the past, and struggles with the tough decisions that need to be made about what to include in an exhibit and what to leave out. A curator tries to recreate a sense of the past and all the meaning behind these works of art and can successfully put a museum-goer in a whole new world in their exhibit. the good thing about museums is that often they have information about the work of art written on the walls as well, so in this way the message is gotten across in a more complete way and the understanding of the viewer is much greater.
It is always nice to get a taste of the past and different cultures.