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Throughout the history of ballet, the portrayal of Roma culture has been marked by a blend of fascination, misrepresentation, and romanticization. Indeed, many famous choreographers who eventually created the canon of classical ballet often included Roma characters and music pieces in their choreographies and performances. There are numerous examples of this phenomenon, which may be easier to understand if one considers the environment that was animating Europe and Russia in the 1800s. 

As a matter of fact, between the late 1700s and the early 1800s a new sensibility emerged towards “exotic” and distant lands, such as India, Japan, Egypt and the Middle East. Such an interest is well-known all across Europe, because many renowned painters and authors have devoted several of their artistic objects to the representation of different, and almost unreachable, regions and societies. This is one of the most distinguishing traits of the Romantic movement, together with the passion for nature, and the celebration of the “noble savage”, which is the idea that primitive people are morally superior because they can live in harmony with nature. Some famous examples of this “orientalist” wave can be found in Paul Gaugain’s paintings, many of which portrayed the landscapes of Tahiti and Martinique and the communities living in those peculiar islands. 

However, there is another side of this passion for exotism by the members of the Romantic movement which is still unknown and not much researched: the presence of Roma characters (and Roma-related musics) in classical ballets. In line with the main features of Romanticism mentioned above, those choreographers and composers were often animated by misconceptions and stereotypes. The result was, almost unequivocally, the creation of “Gypsy” characters (as they were called at the time), especially women, who are usually portrayed as mysterious and intriguing, untamed and wild. 

To get a flavor of how Roma characters were designed, it may be interesting to look at the plots of three famous ballets that are nowadays a cornerstone of the repertoire of classical dance: La Esmeralda, which premiered in 1844; Paquita, first presented in 1846; and Don Quixote, whose first performance was held in 1869. The underlying goal is twofold: on one side, to understand how Roma lifestyle was perceived by the majority of the population in the 1800s, given the scarcity of sources that focus on that particular moment in time; on the other, to investigate stereotypes concerning Roma people that may still be affecting our society.

La Esmeralda is based on the novel Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, and it tells the story of a beautiful Roma girl, Esmeralda, who captivates everyone with her dancing, including the handsome Captain Phoebus, the sinister Archdeacon Frollo, and the kind-hearted but deformed Quasimodo. Frollo loves Esmeralda to the point that he actually becomes obsessed with her, and he orders Quasimodo to kidnap Esmeralda, but Phoebus rescues her. Later, Frollo falsely accuses her of attempting to murder Phoebus, leading to her arrest and a death sentence. In the end, depending on the adaptation, Esmeralda either perishes tragically or is rescued. 

In the ballet, Esmeralda is usually portrayed as a flirtatious, seductive girl, basically embodying the stereotype of a provocative and free Roma woman. In line with this, all the choreographies she dances feature lively facial expressions, energetic moves, and fierce attitude. Her passionate character is also reflected by the colour of her tutus (ballet dresses), which are typically red and black, or emerald green and black. Bold, saturated colours like these are not that common in classical ballet, making Esmeralda’s character stand out in comparison with others. Additionally, the whole ballet includes many choreographies in which the rhythm and dynamism of the music is underlined by the use of tambourine, which further highlights her almost wild approach to life and love, and emphasizes the exotism of the whole setting.

The second ballet, Don Quixote, is also inspired by a novel, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. However, in contrast to the original story, the ballet focuses mainly on the love relationship between Kitri and Basilio. Even though the two are madly in love with each other, Kitri’s father wants her to marry a richer, but not as charismatic, guy, named Gamache. Don Quixote, who stumbles upon Kitri’s village in one of his endless adventures, decides to help the two lovers, often leading to comic situations. In the end, his intervention eventually turns out to be helpful: Kitri and Basilio marry, and Don Quixote returns home, satisfied and happy.

Even though the character of Kitri is not openly described as Roma, the whole Act II of the ballet (basically, the second of three parts in which the whole ballet is divided) is set in a “Gypsy camp”. Ballerinas portraying Roma dancers are engaged in frantic dances, and their wild nature is made even more evident by a couple of small details: first, again, the presence of the tambourine, similarly to what has been noted regarding La Esmeralda. Second, the choice to dress them up with proper dresses instead of tutus; and third, the fact that they all dance with their hair down, in open contrast with the usual ballet canon, which requires ballerinas to tie their hair up in a bun, called chignon. In the middle of Act II, there is a solo performance inspired by Roma culture, in which the ballerina mixes flamenco moves with sensual poses and dramatic gestures. The mix of all these features tries to convey this feeling of wildness that was often associated with Roma people.

Lastly, we have Paquita, set in Spain during Napoleon’s rule. The ballet tells the story of a young Roma girl, named Paquita, who, eventually, discovers to be of noble birth. Yet, she was abducted by Roma people when she was just a little girl. She saves the life of a young French officer, Lucien, who is the target of a Spanish governor who wants him to be killed by a Roma chief. Thanks to a medallion, she finds out her noble origins which allow her to get married to the French officer.

Paquita stands out in comparison with La Esmeralda and Don Quixote because the representation of Roma culture is not really at the core of the ballet, despite actually being the element that solves the plot. Indeed, except for the usual presence of the tambourine in some parts of the ballet, choreographies involving Roma characters are not as centered around the concept of amorality and seduction as in the previously analyzed ballets. However, the plot seems to combine the actual living conditions of Roma people with stereotypes - or at least misconceptions - about their habits. Indeed, while the portrayal of poverty that affected Roma communities in many parts of Europe is surely based on real events and issues, child theft is probably more related to biases than to real crimes or thefts of children committed by Roma. Yet, this was (and in some cases, it still is) one of the most popular narratives about Roma people. Therefore, basically, choreographers and composers simply had to draw from already deeply rooted ideas about what being part of the Roma culture meant, and transpose them into dance moves.

In conclusion, the way Roma culture has been shown in 19th-century ballets reflects the Romantic era's fascination with exoticism and the "other." Famous ballets like La Esmeralda, Don Quixote, and Paquita introduced Roma characters, but often in ways that reinforced negative stereotypes, such as portraying them as wild, seductive, or immoral. These depictions were influenced by existing biases of the time and became part of the dance tradition. While these ballets captivated audiences, they also contributed to a lasting misunderstanding of Roma culture, which still affects how Roma are viewed today.