Willie Desatoff

1921- 2005 – William Desatoff was without a doubt one of the most gifted of Balboa dancers. He remains in the memory banks of those who were fortunate to see him perform.  Not only were his interpretations of Classic Balboa flawless, but his comedic renditions were side-splitting funny. Born in 1921 in East Los Angeles, He started dancing at age 12. His first discipline was Foxtrot but soon picked up LA style swing dancing too. He saw Balboa danced for the first time at age 16, marking the beginning of his lifelong love affair with the dance.  While still a teenager, he started entering dance competitions. By the age of 20 he was going out dancing 5-6 nights a week winning regularly. Like many young patriotic men in 1942, he joined the armed services and served in the US Coast Guard for 4 years. In 1984 he met Lila Gavin, they married in 1985.