WASHINGTON — The oversized video screen suddenly flashed with the presidential seal, the orchestra struck up "Hail To The Chief" and the 44th president of the United States took the stage at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center ballroom last night, greeting the crowd with an "aloha."

In his brief remarks at the joint Hawai'i-Illinois Obama Home States Ball, Honolulu-born Barack Obama recognized his home state as both Illinois and Hawai'i.

While the pageantry was similar to the other 10 official balls that Obama and his wife, Michelle, attended last night, the Home States Ball offered a healthy dose of the Islands.

Several of the guests wore lei and singer Jack Johnson performed on stage with John Cruz.

But in reality, it was the Obamas' mere promise to appear that had the crowd anxious until the first couple showed up just before 9:30 p.m.

Dozens of guests were already lined up facing the entrance to the ballroom, waiting for the Obamas' entrance.

"They were all staking out their positions, waiting for him to come," said Grande Lum, who graduated from Harvard Law School with Obama in 1991.

Then a military color guard appeared, the presidential seal flashed on the screen and "people went crazy," said John Paul, assistant administrator for U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i.

Obama took the stage and offered a simple "aloha." Then he gave a short speech that reprised many of the themes of his inaugural address, such as "working together," "effecting change" and "moving forward."

Obama and the first lady then danced to the cheers of the crowd. Their appearance was over in less than 15 minutes.

Vice President Joseph Biden later took to the same stage and added one more touch of Hawai'i with his own greeting of "alooo-ha."

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to be here in the native state who had the native son and the favorite son, who had to be the next president of the United States of America," Biden said. "I don't know what is in the water in Chicago or out in Honolulu, but whatever it is we gotta make some more of it because he's one helluva guy."