By Steve Paradis
Herald Correspondent
A local liturgical and praise dancer and a comedian from Ocala took first place and the cash prizes in the talent and comedy portions of Showtime in Sanford held on Juneteenth, but a talented young woman who performs circus acts stole the talent show with her acrobatic contortions that defied reality.
Wearing a striking black and gold outfit, Sanford’s own Jamelia Jarrells gave an energetic prayer in dance to win the talent portion of Showtime at the Woman’s Club of Sanford.
It was her first time performing at Showtime, but she has been ministering through dance since she was 4, she said.
Dancing to “I Am,” by Jason Nelson, Jarrells rated a 111.5 decibel reaction from the audience on the sound reader that is part of the judging at Showtime. That was the highest sound reading of the night.
“A huge shout out to my amazing support team,” she said on social media after winning the $500 first place prize. Jarrells said she plans to invest her winnings and expects to perform at the Showtime finale in December.
At the adults only comedian portion of Showtime, comedian Jaye D. Jones, aka JDaFunnyMan, sporting a No. 34 Hakeem Olajuwon Houston Rockets jersey, rose to the top of the ten comedy acts to take home the $500 cash.
“I’ve been doing comedy for three and a half year,” the Ocala native said. He performs as often as he can, he said, playing comedy clubs, corporate events, parties, and even cruises.
“I’m trying to be one of the best ever,” he told the Herald. What is he going to do with his winnings?
“Whatever my 3-year-old wants,” he said, laughing.
Finishing runner-up in the talent portion of Showtime was London Simone, whose artistic acrobatics and contortions wowed the crowd.
Her final act was to do a handstand, with her head facing forward as she loaded a bow and arrow with her feet. She fired the arrow off-stage all to the timing with accompanying music.
Even the show’s CEO Lawrence Gordon, aka Calico tha Surrealist, thought she would win.
“We've had just about every type of talent you can think of, but London Simone is from a different planet,” Calico said on social media. “In my personal opinion she won but sometimes performers just don't have enough support to reach the top.”
He added that it was an honor to have her on his Showtime stage.
“She's such a special person and truly gifted,” he wrote. “You had to be there to see out for yourself. Shout out to her mother Mia Pacitto; you have a super star.”Simone is a name to remember. As the second-place finisher, she will be invited to perform in the show’s finale in December as will singer Miss Illaneous.
Runners up for the comedy session were James Patterson in second and Mark McKay. Both will be invited to the Dec. 18 finale. There is one more qualifying show on Sept. 18. Get your tickets online or at the door at 7 p.m. at 309 S. Oak Ave., Sanford.
JayVion Mcvadian is Showtime’s new host. He did a great job moving the full contingent of performers along. Mcvadian is a former winner with Showtime who performs and produces shows. He even bridged some downtime between acts with his voice singing songs that kept the audience engaged.
Sponsors for Showtime are Charles Davis Nationwide Insurance, the Sanford Herald, Shantell’s Just Until Restaurant & Lounge, the Lake Mary Bilingual Academy Daycare and Nancy Grove’s Yellow Door Realty, who also donated new mics for the September show.
“As always, we ask the community to help us grow,” Calico said. “We want Sanford to show the world that the Woman's Club ain't even big enough for all the talent we have!”
