gypsy water travel size

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BYREDO Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum

KEY NOTES : - Top notes: bergamot, lemon, pepper, juniper berries - Middle notes: incense, pine needles, orris - Base notes: amber, vanilla, sandalwood ABOUT THE FRAGRANCE: Gypsy Water is a glamorization of the Romani lifestyle, based on a fascination with the myth. The scent of fresh soil, deep forests and campfires evokes the dream of a free, colorful lifestyle close to nature.

Web ID: 3595378

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Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum

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“ Wife said to. ” Hassen D. 1 year ago

“ love the scent ” Ray S. over 3 years ago

“ I love this! ” Dana N. over 2 years ago

“ I LOVE IT ” Destiny M. over 4 years ago

“ I chose all because of the memories ellicited ” Barbara A. over 2 years ago

“ Not a strong scent. Very subtle. ” Shirley M. over 2 years ago

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• Top: Bergamot, lemon, pepper, juniper berries
• Heart: Incense, pine needles, orris
• Base: Amber, vanilla, sandalwood

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BYREDO Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum (Various Sizes)

A firm part of the décor in any respectable fragrance-ophile's collection, you'd be forgiven for thinking that BYREDO's iconic perfumes have been around for decades. In reality, the evocative brand was founded in 2006, and has already captured the hearts (and noses) of beauty gourmands around the world. Cherished bottles that capture memories, feelings and emotions, each of BYREDO's meaningful olfactory offerings is so much more than just a fragrance, with the Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum created as an ode to the beauty of Romani culture, its unique customs, intimate beliefs and distinguished way of living.

Inspired by Romani culture, the scent of BYREDO's Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum - now available in both 50ml and 100ml - will swiftly awaken a dream of nomadism thanks to its notes of pine needle, sandalwood, amber and citrus.

Housed in the brand's instantly recognisable, incrrredibly chic and simple - yet quintessentially luxe - monochrome bottles, BYREDO's Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum has quickly become a firm favourite in any respectable fragrance-ophile's collection and regular guest on their Instagram grid too. Created as an ode to Romani culture, prepare to fall for the scent's spellbinding blend of woody pine needle and sandalwood alongside intense amber and refreshing citrus (think: lemon and bergamot) to evoke the fever and spirit of nights spent in the forest. We're sold, are you?

Start by spraying it on your pulse points: behind the ears, wrists, ankles. It will rise in spirals around your body. Then spray a scent halo around your neck, head and hair.

Alcohol, Parfum (Fragrance), Aqua (Water), Limonene, Linalool, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Citral, Bht, Geraniol.

For the latest information, it is recommended to review the ingredient list printed on the packaging of the product prior to usage or consumption.

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Customer Reviews

Top customer reviews.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Please remember that results will vary from person to person. We're proud to say that all customer reviews are independent, authentic and do not represent the views of Cult Beauty or The Hut Group.

Amazing smell

Beautiful light fragrance, my daughter is on her third bottle and constantly gets compliments 

Was this helpful?

OK but doesn’t last

The scent is lovely, but not as amazing as online reviews made me believe. For the price point though, the fragrance doesn’t last. Really disappointed and learnt my lesson the hard way from buying online before trying on in person!

Incredible Smell

After endless Instagram views of this perfume I finally gave in and purchased! I was not disappointed. Love the smell and got lots of compliments. Only downside is the cost!

I fell in love with this perfume at the first sample😁❤️ one of my favs

The Best Perfume

I always get complimented on this perfume!

One of the best floral scents

A high quality product. Classy floral, not cheap

To me From me

Gorgeous perfume and beautiful packaging, perfect christmas treat to myself! 

Unique and Ageless

I purchased Gypsy Water for my daughter's 16th birthday. She fell in love with the scent after using the sample from the discovery set I purchased. It is unique and ageless.

Such a good scent

This is such a beautiful scent. I love it so much I wore it on my wedding day. But the scent doesn’t have good staying power and I feel like I have to reapply if a lot. 

I always get comments when wearing. Smells amazing.

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Gypsy Water Byredo 2008 Eau de Parfum

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Inspired by Romani culture, the scent of BYREDO's Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum - now available in both 50ml and 100ml - will swiftly awaken a dream of nomadism thanks to its notes of pine needle, sandalwood, amber and citrus.

Housed in the brand's instantly recognisable, incrrredibly chic and simple - yet quintessentially luxe - monochrome bottles, BYREDO's Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum has quickly become a firm favourite in any respectable fragrance-ophile's collection and regular guest on their Instagram grid too. Created as an ode to Romani culture, prepare to fall for the scent's spellbinding blend of woody pine needle and sandalwood alongside intense amber and refreshing citrus (think: lemon and bergamot) to evoke the fever and spirit of nights spent in the forest. We're sold, are you?

Start by spraying it on your pulse points: behind the ears, wrists, ankles. It will rise in spirals around your body. Then spray a scent halo around your neck, head and hair.

A firm part of the décor in any respectable fragrance-ophile's collection, you'd be forgiven for thinking that BYREDO's iconic perfumes have been around for decades. In reality, the evocative brand was founded in 2006, and has already captured the hearts (and noses) of beauty gourmands around the world. Cherished bottles that capture memories, feelings and emotions, each of BYREDO's meaningful olfactory offerings is so much more than just a fragrance, with the Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum created as an ode to the beauty of Romani culture, its unique customs, intimate beliefs and distinguished way of living.

Alcohol, Parfum (Fragrance), Aqua (Water), Limonene, Linalool, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Citral, Bht, Geraniol.

For the latest information, it is recommended to review the ingredient list printed on the packaging of the product prior to usage or consumption.

BYREDO Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum - 50ml

Customer reviews, top customer reviews.

Where reviews refer to foods or cosmetic products, results may vary from person to person. Customer reviews are independent and do not represent the views of The Hut Group.

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"Alluringly fresh yet woody, this is a dream."

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Inspiring freedom and harmony, Gypsy Water was created as an ode to the beauty of the roaming Romani culture, its unique customs, intimate beliefs and distinguished way of living. The scent wakens a dream of a colourful lifestyle made of innate nomadism. This alluring fragrance blends the woody notes of sandalwood and amber with fresh lemon and juniper berry.

Fragrance notes

Juniper berries, incense, amber, vanilla, pine needle and sandalwood.

Made without

Spray onto pulse points.

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"This fragrance is easy to wear and will invoke a sense of warmth, familiarity and comfort."

Holly, Fragrance Specialist

Now Smell This

A blog about perfume, byredo gypsy water ~ fragrance review.

Posted by Angela on 2 October 2017 30 Comments

Byredo Gypsy Water has been around since 2008, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I finally tried it. A friend gave me a Gypsy Water travel spray, and it’s been living on my dresser.

Gypsy Water is clearly popular. Byredo offers a whole bathroom counter’s worth of body products to go with it. I understand why, and I often find myself reaching for a quick spritz. But the reasons I reach for it are exactly why I won’t be buying a bottle, especially at its price.

Gypsy Water’s notes include bergamot, juniper berries, lemon, pepper, incense, orris, pine needle, amber, sandalwood, and vanilla. In short, Gypsy Water is a sort of Revlon Jean Naté for the incense-loving set. It’s easy to like, sweet and refreshing, and it wears off before you’ve finished your morning coffee.

Gypsy Water kicks off with a prick of bergamot and sweet lemon over piney incense. Here, the romance of the “gypsy” part of the name prevails — I imagine cool nights and warm afternoons camping in the woods with dry pine needles under my feet and one of those darling gypsy trailers with worn velvet cushions, a mismatched tea set, and tassels hanging from the bedding. It reminds me of a lighter, sweeter version of Etro Shaal Nur .

Within a few minutes, amber and sandalwood join the incense and soon swamp the rest of the composition. An hour later, the “water” part of Gypsy Water’s name becomes evident as the fragrance pulls up stakes and takes the caravan down the road. Until Gypsy Water vanishes, it has pleasant sillage and is gosh-darned likeable.

If this girl weren’t on a budget, a jug of Gypsy Water would be wonderful to keep in the refrigerator for regular pick-me-ups. But at $150 for 50 ml of uncomplicated Eau de Parfum that performs like cologne, forget it. I’m more likely to reach for Piver Rêve d’Or for a friendly, inexpensive incense kick (and a longer life on skin) or, as I mentioned, Jean Naté.

Byredo Gypsy Water was developed by perfumer Jérôme Epinette . The Eau de Parfum is $230 for 100 ml, $150 for 50 ml, and $110 for three 12 ml travel sprays. A 250 ml Eau de Cologne is available for $240, as is 7.5 ml of perfumed oil for $78. (If any of you have tried the cologne or perfumed oil, please comment on how it compares to the Eau de Parfum.) For information on where to buy Gypsy Water, see Byredo under Perfume Houses .

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Most Byredo fragrances have no lasting power in my opinion and they are very expensive for what you get.

I admit that none of them have bowled me over yet, either, although some of them are nice. But I do like the packaging!

Most of them are quite meh, but these 3 I like and last well on me: M/M Ink, 1996, Seven Veils.

I like Seven Veils, too!

Really? On me it was just a vanilla cupcake, certainly not the devastingly seductive vanilla I was hoping for based on the name.

I wrote a review of it years ago. It might pay me to go back and look at it and see what I really thought. But the name is great.

I was curious about 1996 but I think you decried it as dead now ???? in another post due to reformulation which saves me time and money I can spend on other fragrances…yay!

I’ll have to find out more about 1996–obviously I missed the boat on this one. But you’re so right about money to spend elsewhere, if 1996 doesn’t stand up these days!

Now I’m not so sure. The first time I sprayed the new bottle, I could hardly smell it compared to my previous bottle. But when I tried it again, I could smell it better. So it may have been a nose glitch. The other one you may want to try is The Peradam by Apoteker Tepe, it has some similarities, as does FM Dries Van Noten.

I have a sample of 1996 that I got from a Neiman Marcus rep a little over a month ago, and I think it smells great. It’s strong and it lasts, frankly, until I’m tired of smelling it. New bottles, of anything, usually need a week or two to settle down before they smell right, at least to me.

I’ve noticed that the first few spritzes from a bottle often are a bit “off,” too.

I have not yet found a Byredo that I would truly like, but seeing the number of new launches they throw at us from Sweden, I’m not sure if I even want to find one (as you said, they’re not cheap).

I think for now I’ll stick to discovering this australian gem Grandiflora is. I absolutely love Queen of the Night.

Isn’t Queen of the Night amazing? I have about 3 ml of it, and I’m hoarding them. I’d love a bottle of it someday.

Yes, it’s fabulous. I wish them all the best in finding new distribution channels so that more people can know about them.

Interesting – I agree with almost all of your review except the part about it not lasting. I get whiffs of this all day from one spritz. I enjoy the body lotion, too.

It vanishes on me, so I’m glad to see your comment here. Other people might have better luck than I did!

I had a sample of this one some time back, and it didn’t really do much of anything for me. It seemed so light to me that I kind of wondered if I was missing something. There are some Byredos that I like, though (of the ones I’ve tried, which is hardly an exhaustive list). I really like 1996, and I remember liking Black Saffron a lot.

This is the second mention of 1996. I’d better try it!

And now you have me craving Jean Nate which I wore in the 1970s…Pulp, I think, is the only Byredo I have tried….liked it but did not see the need for a full bottle.

I’ve sampled Pulp, too, and it scratched an itch, but that itch is more satisfyingly (for me) scratched by Bombay Bling.

I needed a perfume that would fit a friend’s wedding in the woods on an unseasonably hot evening, and a sample of Gypsy Water hit the spot! But it’s not something I would reach for on a daily basis, being pretty boring and traditional and not at all gypsy-like.

I can see that being a good fit! Gypsy Water is refreshing, but not too citrusy and sharp, and not too intrusive.

I like Gypsy water, but on me, it’s very long lasting and skanky. I rarely use it, because I feel it’s not really ok for the office. My favorite Byredo is by far 1996, that one is a masterpiece.

I wish I could smell it on you, because on me it’s neither long lasting nor skanky! Alas, the vagaries of skin….

I tried Gypsy Water in a store, and was horrified to find that I couldn’t smell it 5 minutes after spraying on my wrists. I thought something was broken in my nose! The SA assured me that was a common complaint, so I felt much better.

Mojave Ghost and Oliver Peoples both smell amazing and last forever on me.

Oh yes, forgot to mention Oliver Peoples, I like that one too.

So, I’m not alone!

I’ll add Mohave Ghost and Oliver Peoples to my ever-growing list of fragrances to try….

Oliver Peoples is great, but it’s one of those Byredos that lasts about 2 minutes, at least on my skin.

I have just recently discovered Gypsy Water, and was hoping to see a review of it on NST. On me, this is a refreshing, somewhat bracing scent, perfect for warmer weather. I really like it, but like you Angela, it lasts all of 5 minutes on me! I’m so surprised to read descriptions from assorted sources which refer to it as “cozy” and perfect for cooler weather, since it has opposite effect on me. I like it enough though, to consider getting the lotion to layer with it to possibly help with longevity.

The lotion is a good idea. You might not even need the EdT if you have the lotion!

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Home – Perfumes – Byredo Gypsy Water

Gypsy Water by Byredo

Key Notes of Gypsy Water

What does gypsy water smell like.

Gypsy Water by Byredo is a unisex fragrance that opens with a zesty and lively combination of juniper berry, lemon, bergamot, and a subtle hint of pepper. The juniper berry is the most prominent among the top notes, providing a crisp, woody aroma to the initial scent.

As the perfume develops, the middle notes bring forth a soft and powdery iris, complemented by the fresh, green scent of pine needles. The frankincense adds a touch of warmth and depth, creating a balanced and harmonious transition from the initial citrusy opening.

As the fragrance settles, the base notes reveal a comforting blend of creamy sandalwood and rich vanilla, which add a hint of sweetness to the overall scent. The presence of amber is faint but contributes to the warmth and complexity of the perfume.

In summary, Gypsy Water is a well-rounded fragrance with a citrusy, woody, and slightly spicy profile. It carries a fresh, clean feeling from the juniper berry and pine needle, while the sandalwood, vanilla, and amber provide a warm, inviting finish. The balance of these elements creates a scent that is both comforting and invigorating, making it suitable for both men and women.

Review of Gypsy Water

Gypsy Water by Byredo, released in 2008, is an Eau de Parfum that caters to a diverse audience. This unisex scent leans slightly more towards women but is still very much enjoyed by men. Its formulation combines various scent types, making it a complex and well-rounded fragrance that can be appreciated by a wide range of individuals.

The most noticeable scent type in Gypsy Water is woody, followed by spicy and fresh notes. It also features an underlying mixture of citrus, sweet, powdery, creamy, smoky, and green elements. This diverse blend of aromas creates a captivating experience for the wearer, making it ideal for various seasons and occasions.

Gypsy Water is best suited for spring, fall, and summer months, with winter being a less favorable season. It is a versatile fragrance that can be worn for leisure or daily activities, as well as business settings and evening events. However, it may not be the most appropriate choice for a night out or sports activities due to its subtler scent profile.

The longevity of Gypsy Water is moderate, which means the scent may need to be reapplied throughout the day. It also has a relatively mild sillage, making it a more intimate and personal fragrance.

In terms of value, Gypsy Water offers a fair balance between quality and price. Overall, this Byredo creation is an appealing and versatile fragrance that can cater to a broad spectrum of preferences and occasions.

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Byredo gypsy water eau de parfum 50ml.

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Description

Experience the bewitching aroma of Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum, inspired by the roaming wanderlust of the Romani people to evoke freedom and a deeper connection to the earth.

The bucolic scents of pine needle, sandalwood and lemon dance on the skin like pollen on a summer’s breeze with arresting top notes that tickle the senses. Hints of vanilla and bergamot deepen the aroma and travel through to the heart of the perfume, defining an earthy scent reminiscent of the great outdoors and authentic exploration.

Raw ingredients follow the theme of the fragrance and further encourage the unbound lifestyle. Byredo Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum is the most popular of Byredo’s perfume range for good reason — the beautiful blend of the perfume with natural scents means that anyone can enjoy it.

Key Benefits

• Gender-neutral scent
• High-quality raw ingredients
• Fine mist application
• Easily layered
• Lasting scent
• Paraben-free

SKU# UK300026787

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479 Reviews

Summary of Customer Ratings & Reviews

Location: Glasgow

Recommends this product: Yes

Ethereal scent

This was my first Byredo scent and it has matured beautifully over the years the bottle has been in my collection. It's not a fragrance I would wear every day and have to be in the mood for it, however when I am it's glorious. I especially love wearing it on 'outdoorsy' days.

Reviews: 19

Received a sample of this perfume and it smells nice, went on to purchase the full size of it as I love the packaging and scent and love the fact that it actually lasts all day, would definitely recommend if you love a nice fresh scent that’s not too overpowering

Location: Liverpool

Pleasant overrated scent with poor longevity

I was interested in this scent for years before I finally bought it. I had read so many reviews and it is the most well known and popular of Byredo's scents. I love niche scents and am a long term Diptyque fan. I decided to treat myself to Gypsy Water as I loved the notes and reviews. It is a pleasant scent but I don't love it and I find the longevity is poor. After realising that I never choose to wear it, I gave it away.

Location: Bedford

Zesty, lemony, fresh. It's a lovely day fragrance. Turns a little sweet after an hour, but it's so gentle that it works with everything. Had to try it multiple times to actually reach the conclusion of "yes I'm getting this" because it didn't have a projection worth the hassle, but eventually this Byredo piece grew on me. Got it and it's a happy buy. ❤️

Very light scent but lasts

The scent itself is very light, would not be offensive to anyone, but I was hoping for something more substantial with oomph, though that's not the aim of this particular perfume to be fair. I feel it doesn't have enough flair or wow factor so would not buy the full size, glad I tried it but it didn't make a memorable impression. Love the Byredo brand but prefer other scents from them.

My review of Gypsy Water Eau de Parfum

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Product Description

ypsy Water is an ode to the beauty of Romani culture, its unique customs, intimate beliefs and distinguished way of living. The scent wakens a dream of a colorful lifestyle made of innate nomadism. Woody notes of pine needle and sandalwood associated to intense amber and fresh citrus evoke the fever of gypsy nights spent in the forest.

Product details

• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 3.35 x 1.3 x 0.87 inches; 0.32 ounces
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07XKQHH67

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A History of Moscow in 13 Dishes

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Institutional Theatre

Brigid O’Keeffe

‘Life on Wheels’ (1931) at Moscow’s State Gypsy Theatre Romen

Desolation and wretched poverty. A campsite in an isolated patch of Soviet forest. An old wagon, unhitched. The Roma who populate this camp are as wretched as the wagon that is the centrepiece of their ‘life on wheels’. Their clothes are as shabby as their patchwork tents. Beleaguered old women sing mournful tunes and occasionally erupt in fits of ‘wild’ dancing. A young orphan girl named Grina cries bitterly. She cannot muster the strength to dance around the campfire or even to sing a sad song. After all, the pitiful orphan is soon to be sold to a wealthy Rom from a nearby camp for an astonishing bride price of five thousand roubles.

Lording over this scene of misery, poverty, and despair is Vangar – a cruel and insatiably greedy kulak (exploiter). An exemplary counter-revolutionary, Vangar is insistent on preserving the ‘nomadic Gypsy way of life’ and rejecting the new Soviet culture and socialist economy. The camp’s youth can only dream of life in the bustling Soviet cities where not only factories, but also an entire new socialist civilization is being built by proud and happy Soviet workers. Vangar rules his camp with an iron fist and soullessly exploits all the poor Roma in the camp. It is Vangar who has schemed to sell Grina to the highest bidder. Vangar is aided and abetted by an entourage of lackeys ready to deploy their whips and beat any Roma who defy their boss’s orders. Vangar is well-fed and wears warm, attractive boots. The poor Roma whom he exploits go hungry and cold. They sing quiet songs about Vangar’s cunning, and they curse him as a tyrant no better than the ‘bloody tsar’ of the recent imperial Russian past.

In this way, the stage was set for the drama to unfold in Life on Wheels , a Romani-language play that debuted at Moscow’s State Gypsy Theatre Romen in 1931. Life on Wheels was written by A. V. Germano, the early Soviet Union’s most celebrated Romani author of poetry and prose on the theme of Roma’s emancipation under the red star of Bolshevism. Germano designed the fictional Romani camp featured in the play to bring to life for Soviet audiences the plight of contemporary Roma as the Bolsheviks understood it and wanted the Soviet people to understand it. Yet Germano’s play, written in the artistic style of socialist realism, was also to portray – for Romani audiences in particular – the trajectory through which ‘backward Gypsies’ would, with the generous aid of the Soviet state, integrate into the rapidly developing socialist society. Life on Wheels was written as an unambiguous Soviet morality play in which downtrodden Roma bravely overcome their dark past, overthrow their kulak exploiters and emerge transformed in the light of Soviet enlightenment as educated, productive citizens devoted to building socialism under Stalin’s wise leadership.

In Life on Wheels , the spirit of Bolshevism arrives in the miserable nomadic camp in the guise of a brave young Romani hero named Kalysh. Wrongfully imprisoned under Tsar Nicholas II, Kalysh has not seen his brethren of Vangar’s benighted camp in many years. In the glorious days of the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks had liberated Kalysh from prison and welcomed him into the ranks of the Red Army. As a Red Army soldier, Kalysh not only fought bravely for the new Bolshevik way of life, but also learned to read and to write. After the Russian Civil War, he was promoted by the Bolsheviks to help lead efforts to transition nomadic Roma to the Soviet way of life, whether in the factory or in the fields. Hearing of Vangar’s campsite location, Kalysh has arrived in a nearby town, ready to help liberate his kin from Vangar’s exploitative grip.

News of Kalysh’s rumoured return ignites Vangar’s violent anger, but it also gives the camp’s poor Roma reason to hope. As a chorus, they sing of a brilliant Soviet future within their reach:

‘The Gypsy’s life on wheels Has for many years rolled on, But the Land of the Soviets Has offered us a new life.’

Kalysh has brought more than a mere promise of new life. He tells of tangible Soviet achievements. In Moscow, the poor Roma learn, a ‘Gypsy Theatre’ has been created as well as an All-Russian ‘Gypsy Union’. Soviet power offers land for nomadic Roma to settle and organize collective farms. Dignified work is available for Roma in Soviet factories. Romani children study in school.

In the land of the Soviets, Roma work side by side with their fellow citizens to build socialism. In this new world, exploiters like Vangar have no rightful place; they can no longer oppress the weak and the poor with impunity. In this new world, there is likewise no place for ‘unproductive’ and ‘backward’ pursuits like nomadism, fortune telling, begging or dancing on the streets for scraps of charity. In the Soviet Union Roma are equal citizens and, as such, they must study in schools and labour in the socialist economy. They must integrate fully into the modern, sedentary, Soviet way of life. Roma must emancipate themselves from their life on wheels, but they enjoy the assurance of the tutelage and material support Soviet power provides all its citizens.

With these promises of Soviet emancipation and transformation, Kalysh leads the camp’s poor Roma in overthrowing Vangar. They abandon their life on wheels and happily begin new Soviet lives of civic integration. Their bitter tears of exploitation are exchanged for the joy of taking Soviet power into their own hands – of learning ‘to live like people, not like wolves’. They reclaim the camp’s horses from Vangar before he flees, disempowered. Before the curtain falls at the play’s end, young Grina is seen at centre stage, dancing joyfully – an orphan still, but now she is the master of her own happy fate in the Land of the Soviets.

The founding of the Theatre Romen in 1931 came on the heels of a long and complex history of Romani artistic performance in both imperial and revolutionary Russia.

Germano, the play’s author, would later self-consciously admit to the mechanistic portrayal of revolutionary transformation in this, the State Gypsy Theatre Romen’s first premiere of a full-length play. Yet the fact that Life on Wheels was commissioned by the Soviet state at all, no less than that it was staged at the newly created Theatre Romen, was in 1931 an astonishing victory for the Romani activists and artists who had for years lobbied the Soviet state to invest in the development of Soviet-style Romani art. The founding of the Theatre Romen in 1931 came on the heels of a long and complex history of Romani artistic performance in both imperial and revolutionary Russia. That Romani artists and performers successfully launched the Theatre Romen (a theatre still in operation in Moscow today) in 1931 is due to their persistent struggle to claim the legitimacy of Romani art in Stalin’s Soviet Union.

Long before the Bolsheviks seized power in the October Revolution of 1917, Romani music and dance had occupied a special place in imperial Russian culture. By the late nineteenth century, a so-called ‘Gypsy mania’ had consumed elite Russian society. It was the height of fashion for Russian elites to frequent expensive restaurants where Romani choirs were employed to entertain audiences with dancing and singing. For the Roma artists who performed in these choirs, this was a lucrative business that potentially afforded them the advantages of wealth – not least among them the ability to send their children to prestigious schools. In the twilight of the tsarist empire, the popularity of Gypsy choirs was unrivalled, and many Romani families in the business of artistic performance integrated themselves into elite Russian society.

In the wake of Russia’s revolutions in 1917 and the traumatic Civil War that followed, Roma struggled at first to stake a claim in the emerging Bolshevik society for the music and dance traditions that had been so wildly popular in tsarist times. The Bolsheviks associated so-called ‘Gypsy music’ with bourgeois decadence. They decried the performances of Romani choirs as ethnographically inauthentic and accused Romani performers of pornography and petit-bourgeois counter-revolution.

More broadly, the Bolsheviks viewed the Romani population of the Soviet Union with dread. Through the prism of stereotypes, the Bolsheviks regarded Roma as the antithesis of the ‘New Soviet Men and Women’ whom they sought to create. When they declared their intention to ‘refashion life on earth’, the Bolsheviks envisioned a modern society of engaged citizens who laboured productively in the socialist economy and who prized education, hygiene and culture. Assuming that all ‘Gypsies’ ( tsygane , the official nationality they were known as in the Soviet Union) were extremely ‘backward’, the Bolsheviks imagined Roma as stuck at the primitive stages of human development on the Marxist evolutionary timeline. Roma, the Bolsheviks assumed, were aimless nomads, filthy illiterates and cunning parasites dangerously alienated from the socialist economy and culture that they hoped to create.

Yet Roma were but one of many ethnic minorities in the Soviet Union whom the Bolsheviks considered ‘backward’ and for whom they designed their nationality policy. The historian Terry Martin has described this nationality policy as a Soviet ‘affirmative action’ programme. The Bolsheviks promised to ‘uplift’ and ‘advance’ the Soviet Union’s ethnic minorities via a range of nation-building projects that would liberate them from the ‘backwardness’ to which tsarist rule had ostensibly condemned them. Roma and their fellow ‘backward’ ethnic minorities in the early Soviet Union were promised preferential access to jobs and education, but also the creation of national languages, alphabets, literatures, theatres, native-language schools and territories (within the USSR). In the Bolsheviks’ famous slogan, these were all to be ‘national in form, socialist in content’. In other words, this nationality policy was designed to integrate the Soviet Union’s ethnic minorities into the modern socialist economy and new Soviet culture by means of institutionalized ethnic particularism.

Bolshevik nationality policy thus provided a framework through which Roma and their fellow minority citizens of the Soviet Union could (and very creatively did) make ethnic-based claims for themselves and their nationality. In so doing, they fulfilled the ‘national in form, socialist in content’ logic that was intended by the Soviet state. In using the framework of this ethnic-based Soviet affirmative action, they also integrated themselves into the Soviet economy and culture. Roma were no exception. Indeed, the Theatre Romen and Germano’s play Life on Wheels were inconceivable without the Soviet nationality policy that made them both possible in Stalin’s Soviet Union.

In the 1920s, Romani activists and artists had energetically campaigned for the establishment of a national theatre. Using the Bolsheviks’ logic, they argued that the creation of a Soviet Gypsy theatre would ‘rescue’ Romani art from the degradations of the capitalist past and help accelerate Roma’s transition to a Soviet way of life. On stage at this new theatre, they argued, Romani artists would sing new songs of Soviet socialism for Romani audiences in the Romani language. The theatre would serve a crucial didactic function and accustom ‘backward Gypsy’ audiences to the values of Soviet socialism. In October 1930, the Commissariat of Enlightenment approved the creation of the Theatre Romen, the first theatre of its kind in the world.

Life on Wheels premiered at the Theatre Romen in 1931. Colourful tapestries and a shabby wagon decorated the stage. Romen’s female performers wore brightly patterned dresses. The men sported unruly beards, lined their eyes with kohl, and carried horsewhips. One theatre critic decried what he considered the staging’s crude exotica, but Soviet officials and theatre critics generally hailed the play as a success for the young theatre.

Life on Wheels launched what for the Theatre Romen and its artists would prove to be a stressful decade of trying to adroitly navigate evolving Stalinist policy regarding the arts, nationality policy and the ‘socialist content’ of broad Soviet culture. Several times in the 1930s, the Theatre Romen was threatened with closure by Soviet authorities. Behind the scenes, Romani activists and the theatre’s Romani performers struggled to assert their own authority over the development of this Soviet-style Romani art, as well as to meet the mercurial demands of Stalinist policy and culture.

In the Theatre Romen’s early years, Romani-language plays written by Romani authors dominated its repertoire. These plays, like Life on Wheels , faithfully wedded socialist realism and the logic of Soviet nationality policy; they were straightforward tales of ‘backward Gypsies’ becoming ‘new Soviet Gypsies’. Romen’s troupe performed these plays on stage in Moscow, but also regularly travelled in the summer season to Romani collective farms throughout the Soviet Union to perform for their rural brethren.

Already by 1933, however, calls were coming from within and outside the theatre’s administration to change course and adopt a more ‘classical’ repertoire. In 1934, it premiered its staging of Prosper Merimée’s Carmen and received disappointing reviews in the Soviet press. Doubts also emerged early on – again, from both within and outside the theatre – about the viability of performing Romen’s plays in the Romani language, rather than in Russian. Most of the Theatre’s Romen’s audience members in Moscow could not understand a word of the Romani spoken on stage. Many of its actors and actresses were themselves not fluent in the Romani language and wanted to perform in Russian. Some of Romen’s artists quickly grew tired of what they felt was the disrespect of non-Romani theatre administrators and disinvested Soviet officials. By mid-decade, the Theatre Romen was palpably in crisis.

In 1937, a serious of fateful decisions transformed the Theatre Romen. M. M. Ianshin, a star at the prestigious Moscow Art Theatre, was hired as its new artistic director. A Russian, Ianshin was selected by the Commissariat of Enlightenment to elevate the Theatre Romen’s repertoire and artistry. Ianshin’s approach was straightforward. The Theatre Romen would now perform in the Russian language, not in Romani. And while plays written by Romani artists (I. I. Rom-Lebedev, in particular) would still feature in its repertoire, greater priority would be given to staging classical plays from the heights of Soviet and world culture.

Under Ianshin’s lead, in 1938 the Theatre Romen premiered a new adaptation of A. S. Pushkin’s poem The Gypsies . The play was performed in the Russian language – the language of Pushkin and of the Soviet Union’s ‘First Among Equals’, the Russian nation. Soviet audiences were invited to delight in a play that portrayed the very same images of ‘Gypsies’ that had earlier so filled Bolsheviks with dread. Pushkin’s ‘Gypsies’ were hot-tempered and carefree. They were beguiling lovers of liberty who shunned society and wandered aimlessly. Pushkin’s character Zemfira, a fiery ‘Gypsy’ beauty, enchanted her Russian lover, Aleko, and tempted him to escape modernity and follow her into the wild steppes. Soviet theatre critics celebrated this production as the triumph, at long last, of ‘authentic’ Romani art at the Theatre Romen.

The theatre’s performances were to be ‘national in form, socialist in content.’

There is irony, of course, in the Theatre Romen’s route from Germano’s Life on Wheels in 1931 to the triumphant production of Pushkin’s The Gypsies under Ianshin’s lead in 1938. But there is much more than irony. This route mirrors in stark and telling ways the evolution of Stalinist culture and nationality policy in the Soviet Union of the 1930s. Both productions, in their own ways and their own times, reflect the Bolshevik logic that justified the Theatre Romen’s founding in 1931: the theatre’s performances were to be ‘national in form, socialist in content’. By the close of the 1930s, the Theatre Romen, its actors, and its audiences were already to have graduated to a mastery of Soviet and world culture, an embrace of Stalinist kul’turnost’ (culturedness). Life on Wheels in 1931 paved the way for the Theatre Romen’s triumph with its production of The Gypsies under the changed Soviet circumstances of 1938. Likewise, both plays helped to secure the Theatre Romen’s legacy in Soviet and Russian history as well as in the global history of Roma.

Rights held by: Brigid O’Keeffe | Licensed by: Brigid O’Keeffe | Licensed under: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International | Provided by: RomArchive