A music and dance performance, called "Sky In Their Eyes: The Antelope in A Vanishing Landscape," was performed live for the first time on the night of November 24 at the Raphael Room of London's famous V&A Museum as part of Friday Late: Sino Flux, a celebration of Chinese contemporary art, design, and sounds.

With unique costumes, animal masks and specially composed music and dance, visitors explored  themes of tragedy and hope through the fashion and dance theater, created by Chinese artist and designer Xu Rui.

The story was told through the eyes of the magnificent and gentle antelope family who have stood proudly as wardens of the land and existed harmoniously with nature for thousands of years. Their habitat was once vast, yet with the expansion of cities it is quickly disappearing. As well as the deterioration of their environment and lack of food, they also faced slaughter from human beings.

Through personalizing the antelopes, Xu Rui reinterprets the antelope family, endowing them with the traditional Chinese aesthetic character of "Junzi," which has a similar meaning to a gentleman. 

The humbleness and large number of deaths finally raised people's awareness to the antelopes' plight. In the story, no matter how difficult the situation was, antelopes stand like hermits overlooking the wilderness, with determination and transparency in their beautiful eyes. 

Designer Xu Rui said, "I hope to explore the beautiful eyes of these wild animals. I hope to raise awareness and thinking to our environment, the city we live in, also hope in animals' eyes through my design. Giving animals an opportunity means to give ourselves the same one." 

Felix, a visitor from Germany, thought the show was more than just a dance. "It was an expression of feelings, fear and friendship. To transport all those emotions, you have to be very good artists. I think they did very well," said Felix.

Working with a Spanish musician, Xu Rui created this woeful but beautiful story.

Amy Grubb, dance designer and choreographer of the show, spoke about her experience working with Rui: "She is a very talented designer...But I think the most important thing for me was the meaning of the piece, the meaning how we are trying to tell a story, and show how we should be protecting animals, not destroying their lands, not exploiting animals," said Grubb.

This is the first time the V&A Museum has chosen a Chinese theme, showing China's contemporary art, design, sounds.

Curator of the Friday Late Program, Bethan Johnson, spoke about why the museum chose Chinese artists as their theme. "As a museum, we are really interested in arts and designs coming out of China in the fields timely to speak about it because all of changes are happening in China, particularly thinking about how it is repositioning itself in a kind of globalized world," said Bethan.

Xiang Xiaowei, Chinese Minister Counselor for Culture of the Chinese Embassy in UK, regarded the performance as a landmark presentation of Chinese design and cultural values. He emphasized, "we should not just simply take it as a fashion design, but we have seen its combination of new ideas in relating to mask, design, music and fashion itself. Most important thing is the idea of protecting our environment and endangered species. I think that is really the key to understand the values of China now as it presents."