“Ballo Liscio” is often confused with the Ballroom, another type of dance that conquered Italy during time.
Actually, there are three types of
​“Ballo Liscio”:

Liscio unificato: includes Mazurka, Waltz and Polka and is officially recognised as a discipline by FIDS and ANMB.

Liscio Romagnolo: is a type of “Liscio”, but in competitions is part of the Folk Dances.

Liscio Tradizionale or from Piedmont: with slower rhythms than the Romagnolo one, his music remembers the marching band sound. Movements are based on the gallantry between men and women and his main characteristic is the essential presence of accordion.
The name of these dances comes from the fact that the floor on which the feet crawl, must be smooth, to allow freedom of movements for the dancers.​

“Ballo Liscio” origins are to be found in Romagna, Italy, around the end of 1800 and the beginning of 1900, thanks to the violinist Secondo Casadei, considered the greatest exponent of the Romagna “Ballo Liscio” and uncle of Raoul Casadei.

Mazurka is a Polish dance that expert dates back around 1500. Born as a folk dance, it then spread also among the wealthiest classes and in other countries, thanks to composers like Chopin. Mazurka arrived in Italy around 1800 and was modified following the Romagna needs, until entering right into the tradition of Italian “ballo liscio”.  Rhythm is between slow and fast, with many twists and turns.

Waltz is divided in two different styles, the slower one, also called English and the fastest, typically Viennese. Waltz has, in fact, Austrian origins and was born thanks to the Johann Strauss music. The fastest version is very choreographic and interesting to watch, but also involves more complex steps. The English Waltz instead has a slower and romantic rhythm, perfect for weddings and galas.

Polka is instead a much faster dance than the previous one and was born in Boemia at the beginning of 1800. It is said that the inspiration for this dance came to Jesep Neruda, a music teacher, watching a girl dance in Prague. From Boemia, Polka spread all over the world, arriving in Italy too.