NAIROBI, Kenya — Melania Trump briefly lost her footing when a baby elephant startled her with a sudden move, but the first lady was anything but out of step when children at an orphanage welcomed her to their home with African song and dance.

It didn’t take long for the typically reserved U.S. first lady to dive fully into the moment.

Mrs. Trump arrived at The Nest orphanage on Friday after helping feed baby elephants, still clad in the riding pants and tall brown boots she had worn on a safari. A group of children who live at the orphanage and had been waiting for their American visitor broke into song and dance.

With a child’s hand clasped in each of hers, Mrs. Trump led the group up a walkway toward the home for orphaned infants, sashaying to the music as she approached a bank of waiting news cameras.

The first lady was similarly immersed in the moment earlier at Nairobi National Park, where she had gone early Friday to highlight elephant conservation.