Erica's Dance Academy's first cancer research fundraiser -- a "showcase" of dance routines held at Wareham High School earlier this month -- brought in more than $2,000 for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Erica Harkins, owner of the Middleboro dance school, said the idea for the event began when a former student's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Plus, Harkins' best friend and dance academy teacher Jen Benoit is in her tenth year of remission from Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Harkins said the girls wanted to do something to show support for the two women and the competition team at the school wanted to do an extra showcase of their routines. Thus, "Dancing Out Cancer" took place on May 2.

Only in the first year of the event, Harkins said they were just looking to garner some feedback, however, 300-plus people showed up.

"The kids were super excited to see how much money we raised," Harkins said.

Benoit, who is a Wareham native, performed with her 11-year-old daughter Chloe in the showcase. And the former student whose mother was just diagnosed with cancer came back from out of town to perform for the benefit.

"We're absolutely going to do it again next year," Harkins said.