Day one and Obama’s having a ball

At Last may have been just what US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were thinking as they glided through their inaugural dance to the Etta James classic.

The Obamas were the star attraction at the Neighbourhood 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 events, including the new president taking his oath of office, and of the two-year campaign that installed him 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 all of Obama’s rallies throughout the campaign.

“You could tell that’s a black president from the way he was moving,” comedian Jamie Foxx joked following the dance.

The president wore white tie, while the first lady shimmered in a white, one-shouldered, floor-length gown. It was embellished from top to bottom with white floral details and was made by 26-year-old New York designer Jason Wu.

“First of all, how good looking is my wife?” Obama asked the crowd of celebrities and supporters.

There was more dancing at the Obama Home States ball, where Obama said to the crowd: “Hello, everybody. Aloha. What’s going on?” in the dialects of the Hawaii and Illinois contingents, which he said reflected his roots.

At the Commander in Chief Ball, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden each saluted the nation’s military men and women via satellite.

In a sign, perhaps, of the tough economic times, guests who already paid anywhere from $US75 for a ticket to thousands more for a package deal had to buy their own drinks served in small plastic cups. Beer went for $US6, cocktails for $US9  and champagne for $US12.

People were standing in line outside Union Station to get into the Eastern States Ball an hour and a half after it started.

Because of very limited seating at the Western Ball, a number of attendees in long gowns and fancy dress plopped cross-legged on the floor.
“This is what happens in a down economy. No chairs, no highboys – it’s the floor and plastic cups,” commented ballgoer Brig Lawson, 38, of Las Vegas.

Director Ron Howard said he sympathised with the long day Obama was having.

“I feel bad for him,” Howard said in an interview with The Associated Press at the Western Ball.

“He’s had a long day and now he has to do seven dances. This has got to be the gruelling part for the first family.”

At the Obama Home States ball, the dance floor was dominated by two little girls who skipped and twirled in matching red dresses while the grown-ups stood still, crowded around the stage waiting for Obama to appear.

Singer Sheryl Crow was greeted by a cheering crowd later for her appropriate hit, A Change Would Do You Good, at the Midwestern Ball.

When hip-hop star Wyclef Jean asked the men at the Mid-Atlantic Ball to pull off their tuxedo jackets and swing them in the air to show their support for Barack Obama, thousands did.

Jean played a raucous 30-minute set for the 7000 guests, starting with an ad-lib ode to Obama: “With a father from Africa, with the spirit of America, we voted for him. Obama’s the president.”

At the Youth Ball, Kid Rock belted out songs as well-dressed 20-somethings mingled about.

One of them walked up to a bartender, gave him a high five and said, “Barack Obama is president!”.

Though the mood was celebratory, the reality that the country remains at war hung over the festivities at the Commander in Chief Ball and a separate Heroes Red White & Blue Ball.

“Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers today, every day, forever,” Obama told troops at the Commander in Chief ball.

“Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, the work begins. … Together, I am confident we will write the next great chapter in America’s story.”

AP

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