MID-ALANTIC STATES BALL:Shortly before 11.30 the new denizens of the White House arrived to deafening shouts and screams, writes MARY FITZGERALDin Washington
WASHINGTON VETERANS have plenty of tips on how to survive the slew of balls that bring the curtain down on the pomp and ceremony that is inauguration day: don’t wear heels; dress up warmly against the biting cold; and be prepared to queue, and queue again.
Few of the women attending the six official balls held at the Walter E Washington Convention Centre in downtown DC on Tuesday night paid much attention to the first piece of advice.
By the end of the evening, as thousands drained out of the cavernous halls of the Convention Centre, many ballgoers were padding around in bare feet, having kicked off their vertiginous heels after hours of standing in line for everything from drinks, photographs, food and cloakroom.
At the Mid-Atlantic States ball, campaign staffers, donors, Democratic stalwarts and assorted politicos from DC, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia sipped on champagne served in $12-a-pop plastic flutes and picked at a buffet consisting of chicken roulade, tortellini, crudités and pretzels.
Among the revellers were Virginia governor Tim Kaine and Maryland governor Martin O’Malley. Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean warmed up the crowd ahead of the recently reunited Grateful Dead – minus the usual tie-dyed fans and now calling themselves simply The Dead – by ordering all the men present to take off their tuxedo jackets and swing them in the air to show their support for the new president.
Some time later, vice-president Joe Biden swung by with his wife Jill. Biden, who often gives a nod to his Irish roots by quoting Joyce or Seamus Heaney in speeches, told ballgoers the occasion merited a few lines of Irish poetry.
“People ask me why I’m always quoting Irish poets,” he said.
“Well, first of all it’s because I’m Irish and secondly, Irish poets are the best in the world.”
Not for the first time this inauguration week, Biden turned to Heaney's The Cure at Troy.
“Once in a lifetime
the longed for tidal wave
of justice can rise up,
and hope and history rhyme”
he recited to the hushed crowd.
This day, the new vice- president continued, marked the beginning of a "once in a lifetime" experience for America. Biden then led his wife Jill in a slow waltz to Van Morrison's Have I Told You Lately.
The moment everyone had been waiting for arrived shortly before 11.30pm when, to deafening shouts and screams from the crowd, the new denizens of the White House took the stage. Barack Obama was wearing a tux and white bow tie, his wife Michelle resplendent in a full length, one shouldered shimmering white chiffon gown.
“You made possible what people said was impossible. If you can do it in an election, you can do it in this administration,” Obama said.
“It is in your hands and so after this celebration I hope every single one of you take away from today a renewed dedication to making sure that you are playing your part in remaking America.”
Turning to the new first lady as the music started, Obama quipped: “Now I want to dance with somebody who’s been doing everything I’ve been doing, except she does it in heels.”
The crowd cheered as Obama pulled Michelle close and whispered in her ear as they danced. He twirled her around once, grinning at onlookers straining to capture the moment with their cameras and mobile phones. Then it was time to move on to the next of the 10 official balls the couple attended on inauguration night.
“Let’s go change America,” a beaming Obama yelled as the new First Couple departed, leaving a trail of expectation in their wake.