The president and his wife took center stage at the 10 balls organized to mark Barack Obama's inauguration, upstaging even A-List performers such as Beyonce' and Denzel Washington as even the nation's most watched celebrity figures fixed their attention, if for a moment, on the country's new power couple.
Barack and Michelle Obama danced to Beyonce's version of blues singer Etta James' "At Last," the soulful dirge Beyonce performed when she played James in the motion picture Cadillac Records.
Obama, dress in a black tuxedo with a white bow tie, gazed fondly at Michelle, who wore a full-length white gown.
The gala, dubbed the Neighborhood Ball, would be one of 10 parties to top off a day when Obama was grandly feted by hundreds of thousands of people lining Washington's streets after his installation as president of the United States at noon before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people.
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 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.
"First of all, how good looking is my wife?" Obama asked the crowd of celebrities and supporters.
At the Obama Home States ball, the president pulled the first lady much closer than he did on their first dance. At one point, he wrapped both arms around her waist and locked his fingers together at the small of her back.
"Hello, everybody. Aloha. What's going on?" Obama said in the dialects of the Hawaii and Illinois contingents, saying they reflected his roots. "So many of you got involved not just in our campaign but in our lives."
At the Commander in Chief Ball, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden each saluted the nation's military men and women via satellite. Biden said he wasn't looking forward to his moment in the spotlight -- the dancing, that is.
"The thing that frightens me the most (is) I'm going to have to stand in that circle and dance in a minute." At that, he laughed and did a quick sign of the cross.
The Obamas were more enthusiastic, splitting up to dance with Marine Sgt. Elidio Guillen of Madera, Calif. -- who was shorter than dance partner Michelle -- and Army Sgt. Margaret H. Herrera, who cried in the president's arms.
Despite the formal attire and celebrity entertainment, balls aren't 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, perhaps, of the tough economic times, guests who already paid anywhere from $75 for a ticket to thousands more for a package deal had to buy their own drinks served in small plastic cups. Beer went for $6, cocktails for $9 and champagne for $12.
People were standing in line outside Union Station to get into the Eastern States Ball an hour and a half after it started.
Earlier in the day, he and Michelle Obama watched excitedly from the reviewing stand and were saluted by the passing formations of bands, dancers, military personnel and acrobats.
The new president looked down at the parade from the stand and saw a flash from his past: the marching band of his Honolulu-based alma mater: Punahou High School, where he was known for his trusty jumpshot as a member of the basketball team.
Barack and Michelle Obama danced to Beyonce's version of blues singer Etta James' "At Last," the soulful dirge Beyonce performed when she played James in the motion picture Cadillac Records.
Obama, dress in a black tuxedo with a white bow tie, gazed fondly at Michelle, who wore a full-length white gown.
The gala, dubbed the Neighborhood Ball, would be one of 10 parties to top off a day when Obama was grandly feted by hundreds of thousands of people lining Washington's streets after his installation as president of the United States at noon before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people.
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 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.
"First of all, how good looking is my wife?" Obama asked the crowd of celebrities and supporters.
At the Obama Home States ball, the president pulled the first lady much closer than he did on their first dance. At one point, he wrapped both arms around her waist and locked his fingers together at the small of her back.
"Hello, everybody. Aloha. What's going on?" Obama said in the dialects of the Hawaii and Illinois contingents, saying they reflected his roots. "So many of you got involved not just in our campaign but in our lives."
At the Commander in Chief Ball, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden each saluted the nation's military men and women via satellite. Biden said he wasn't looking forward to his moment in the spotlight -- the dancing, that is.
"The thing that frightens me the most (is) I'm going to have to stand in that circle and dance in a minute." At that, he laughed and did a quick sign of the cross.
The Obamas were more enthusiastic, splitting up to dance with Marine Sgt. Elidio Guillen of Madera, Calif. -- who was shorter than dance partner Michelle -- and Army Sgt. Margaret H. Herrera, who cried in the president's arms.
Despite the formal attire and celebrity entertainment, balls aren't 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, perhaps, of the tough economic times, guests who already paid anywhere from $75 for a ticket to thousands more for a package deal had to buy their own drinks served in small plastic cups. Beer went for $6, cocktails for $9 and champagne for $12.
People were standing in line outside Union Station to get into the Eastern States Ball an hour and a half after it started.
Earlier in the day, he and Michelle Obama watched excitedly from the reviewing stand and were saluted by the passing formations of bands, dancers, military personnel and acrobats.
The new president looked down at the parade from the stand and saw a flash from his past: the marching band of his Honolulu-based alma mater: Punahou High School, where he was known for his trusty jumpshot as a member of the basketball team.
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