Ricky Hails the Chief

By Stephen M. Silverman

Friday June 05, 1998 12:00 AM EDT

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Ricky Martin got George W. Bush to dance -- or, at least, attempt to -- at Thursday afternoon's 2 1/2-hour show at Washington's Lincoln Memorial that kicked off four days of celebrations to mark Dubya's inauguration. As he swiveled his trademark twitchy hips, Martin sashayed over to the 42nd president-elect and wooed him out of his chair and into moving to the music, which in this case was "The Cup of Life." Bush, wearing a heavy overcoat and gloves, did a whole lot of leaning. Tens of thousands of people who watched under gray skies cheered the routine. Afterward, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., the last remnants of the '60s group the Fifth Dimension, delivered the hippie anthem from "Hair," "Let the Sunshine In." Among the other examples of the gala's easy-listenin' entertainment: Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton, who sang Neil Diamond's "(They're Coming to) America" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," which received an enthusiastic thumbs-up from Bush, and Jon Secada, who delivered "America, the Beautiful" in both Spanish and English. Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell and Olympic swimmer Dara Torres introduced boxing legend Muhammad Ali, who spent a few moments acknowledging his warm reception from the crowd before turning to greet the president-elect.