President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance together at the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball in Washington. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESSWASHINGTON - 'AT Last' may have been just what President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were thinking Tuesday night as they glided through their first inaugural dance to the Etta James classic.
The Obamas were the star attraction at the Neighborhood Ball for people who live in the Washington area, the first of 10 inaugural celebrations they planned to attend, going into the early hours of Wednesday. The celebrations marked the end of a long day of formal inaugural events and the two-year campaign that put them in the White House.
The president pulled his wife close and they danced a slow, dignified two-step while, offstage, Beyonce sang. The president spun the first lady once in a half-turn.
Obama cut loose in a faster groove a few minutes later, as Shakira, Mary J. Blige, Faith Hill and Mariah Carey sang along with Stevie Wonder to his 'Sign, Sealed, Delivered.' The song was played at nearly every one of Obama's rallies throughout the campaign.
The president wore white tie, while Michelle shimmered in a white, one-shouldered, floor-length gown. It was embellished from top to bottom with white floral details and made by 26-year-old New York designer Jason Wu.
Mr Obama, who was in white tie, asked the crowd, 'First of all, how good looking is my wife?'
Michelle Obama chose a white chiffon one-shoulder gown designed by Jason Wu for the evening. Her full-skirted dress had a strap across her right shoulder, a ruched bodice, fluffy appliques and sparkly beading.
Most of the ladies wore black like their dates, but Patrick Landers was an exception in his kilt at the Biden Home States Ball.
The 33-year-old Washington attorney moved to the United States from Ireland in 1998.
'I'm here to celebrate this great day and the beginning of a transformation in the United States and the rest of the world in creating a more inclusive society,' Mr Landers said.
Not everyone was so thrilled to be attending a ball. Singer Sheryl Crow, doing a sound check for a performance later at the Midwestern Ball, said she was homesick.
'I have not seen my child in four days. I'm miserable,' she told her band between songs.
Despite the formal attire and celebrity entertainment, balls are not overly fancy affairs. Lines often are long to get in, go to the bathroom or check your coat and the food is heavy on vegetables with dip and cheese cubes.
In a sign of the financial times, guests who already paid anywhere from US$75 (S$112) for a ticket to thousands more for a package deal had to buy their own drinks. Beer went for US$6 and cocktails for US$9.
Gregory O'Dell, a spokesman for the Washington Convention Centre, said every inauguration is different, but several administrations in the past have offered free drinks at their inaugural balls.
'I think they were focused on being cost sensitive, obviously with the economy,' he said.
The room was quite chilly at the Midwestern Ball, where Rep. Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat, and wife, Elizabeth, huddled close and held hands. Asked what she most what she looked forward to at the inaugural ball this evening, Mrs Kucinich joked, 'Getting my coat.'
The Obamas' first stop was broadcast on ABC with performances by Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z, will.i.am, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Sting, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder and Maroon 5.
Mr Obama and his wife, who have already danced at the concert at the Lincoln Memorial, boogied away on circular platform to the music.
Then it's off to mr Obama's Home State Ball for Illinois and Hawaii with Jack Johnson and Common performing; the Commander in Chief Ball for the armed forces with Jon Bon Jovi headlining an event to be broadcast to troops overseas, and the Youth Ball with Kanye West, Kid Rock and Fall Out Boy to be broadcast on MTV.
Mr Obama and Vice President Joe Biden also will both attend the ball for Biden's home states and five regional balls, with performers including The Dead, Marc Anthony and James Taylor.
In the past, inaugural dances have tended to be awkward affairs.
The president and first lady take to the dance floor before thousands of supporters, twirl around awkwardly, then wave goodbye and move on to the next ball.
In 2001, reporters timed George W. Bush's forays onto the dance floor at each of nine inaugural balls. His first was 29 seconds. The longest stretch: 67 seconds.
'I confess I'm not the world's greatest dancer, but you're going to have to suffer through it,' he told the crowd at the Florida state ball.
The official balls are just the tip of the iceberg for a Washington party that has brought much of Hollywood to the shores of the Potomac. Also Tuesday night is a star-studded event put on by the Creative Coalition with Anne Hathaway, Ron Howard, Spike Lee and Susan Sarandon; a concert with Rihanna; and a BET ball with Blige, Queen Latifah, Tyler Perry and Joss Stone. -- AP
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