Darby "Mr. Debonair" Settles

A proud native Detroiter, Darby was born, raised, and educated in Detroit Michigan. He graduated from Henry Ford High School then completed his undergraduate and advanced psychology degrees at Wayne State University. He has managed to leave his beloved Detroit on several occasions though, especially during his time with the US Air Force.

His love for music and dancing lead him to begin ballroom dancing around 2003. Settles says he enjoys most traditional forms of ballroom as well as local urban dance genres but admits his greatest passion lies with Chicago Steppin.

He notes that most women describe his dancing style as “smooth”; a compliment he takes in stride, but he notes “I constantly strive to improve on my style and flow”.

One woman who really is the authority on Darby’s dance abilities is his wife of 6 years Cassandra. Darby also has a daughter Kayla.

Darby is excited to accept his nomination as the newest member of the Big Hat Gentlemen and says, “I look forward to carrying on our tradition providing ladies with the ‘ultimate mature dance experience’.”