First Couple Kicks Off Inaugural Celebrations with Graceful Dance
January 22, 2009
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance at the Neighborhood Ball on Inauguration Day.
With a full plate of issues to tackle from the U.S. economic crisis to wars abroad, President Obama had no time for dance lessons in preparation for his inaugural turn with wife Michelle at the nearly dozen scheduled inaugural celebrations on Tuesday. He expressed some tongue-in-cheek concern about it in an interview with USA Today last week.
"Michelle keeps on knocking my dancing in public in ways that have hurt my feelings, so I probably should practice just 'cause she'll tease me mercilessly if I step on her toes." In an interview with Univision days before the inauguration, Obama revealed that his strategy for the first dance was just to keep it simple with a two-step, “you know, nothing fancy.” He has expressed on more than one occasion that first lady Michelle Obama is the best dancer in the family and she confirmed it last year during an appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show.
Luckily, the newly sworn-in president glided effortlessly through the couple’s first dance—a languid, romantic turn to the Etta James standard “At Last” sung by pop singer Beyoncé Knowles. Looking confident and relaxed (or, perhaps, just relieved), he gave the first lady a spin and stayed the course with his two-step plan which he then repeated at the next nine celebrations they were scheduled to attended. After a turn to the instrumental version of the song at the “Be the Change” Youth Ball held in the Washington Hilton, President Obama concluded the dance by telling the crowd, “That's what's called old school.”
The President and first lady continued their swirl through the whirlwind of celebrations throughout the night, but kept an eye on the future challenges ahead. President Obama told the troops at the Commander-in-Chief's Ball, "Tonight we celebrate, but tomorrow the work begins."
