Hollywood stars wow crowds at Obama Ball

A host of celebrities including Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, enthralled the audience at the first presidential Inaugural Ball, which was open to the public.

Kicked off by the will.i.am, the Neighborhood Ball celebration on Jan 20 boasted a string of top stars from the worlds of pop, rock, country, RnB and hip-hop.

Multi-instrumentalist Stevie Wonder led a celebrity-studded jam of Signed, Sealed, Delivered to welcome newly elected president Barack Obama into the White House.

And an emotional Mariah Carey dedicated her Hero hit to Obama and his wife Michelle before the couple arrived to share their first dance as America's First Couple.

Introduced by actor Denzel Washington, the Obamas danced to Beyonce's rendition of Ella James At Last, while the singer struggled to fight back proud tears towards the end of the song.

Even Blige and actress Kerry Washington were spotted with wet eyes as they watched the Obamas enjoying their first dance as President and First Lady.

However, actor/singer Jamie Foxx was more impressed by Obama's moves.

"You can tell that's a black president from the way he was moving," Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

The ball was co-hosted by Foxx, Queen Latifah, Vanessa Williams and Leonardo DiCaprio, who jetted back from the London premiere of Revolutionary Road to be a part of the festivities.

And the DJ for the night was Carey's husband, Nick Cannon, who was spinning the discs at the bash.

Others who performed at the ball include rapper Jay-Z, Shakira and Alicia Keys, who stunned crowd with a rendition of her hit No One.

However, the show stopping performance was by Wonder and Sting, who teamed up for a rendition of the British rocker's Brand New Day.

The Neighbourhood Ball was the first of 10 Presidential balls, which the Obamas are expected to attend.