That sparkling wood floor on TVs “Dancing with the Stars” —Memphis dance studio owner and instructor Benji Smith sold it to the show, reaching a career milestone.

“From the time it (DWTS) started,” the 52-year-old said, “I thought, ‘I would love to sell that floor.’ But my competitor had it.”

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That milestone, reached when “DWTS” kicked off its 30th season on Sept. 20 with his floor on display, had its genesis some three decades ago.

That’s when Smith began dancing as part of a larger life strategy. He teamed up with a college buddy and set out for greener social pastures.

“We wanted to meet pretty girls. All the pretty girls were on the dance floor,” Smith said.

In those days, MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” was becoming a culture phenomenon. Fans ruined cassette tapes by rewinding and replaying the song too many times, and radio stations filled the air waves with his music. Young people broke into dance for “Hammertime.”

Smith and his buddy bought pairs of baggy pants — Hammer’s trademark clothing — and set out for the dance floor. Smith soon became a teacher, met a fellow instructor and married her. She’s now his studio’s bookkeeper.

And then came “Dancing with the Stars.” The TV sensation first aired 16 years ago and created a whole new generation of people who wanted to learn to ballroom dance. They wanted to waltz, tango, foxtrot, rumba and cha-cha.

Smith, who had already been a ballroom instructor several years, suddenly found his dance card full of people his age — and even younger.

“It put possibilities out there for people,” Smith said. “The first studio I worked in, the youngest students were 65. It used to be all the little old ladies. These days, we have a few kids but mostly adults, and they are 30 to 60 years old.”

Smith took a group of students from Memphis and other cities to Los Angeles to watch seasons two and three of “DWTS.” For dance enthusiasts, that’s like getting great seats at the Super Bowl.

“One of the times, we sat directly behind the judges,” Smith said. “And I knew several of the pros on the show. I met Tatum O’Neal. George Hamilton. And Lisa Rinna. She was amazing to meet. She was so nice.”

The ABC show continues to be popular. During its fall 2020 run, “DWTS” ranked as the No. 1 entertainment series in its two-hour time slot among adults ages 18 to 49.

That’s a whole lot of exposure for Smith’s 1.25-inch-thick, steel clipped tongue-and-groove cushioned flooring. He personally oversaw its placement, conducted by an experienced installer.

Quality flooring gives, providing dancers a cushion and staving off injury.

The flooring, also held together with steel clips along the underside, includes a half-inch of foam flexible enough to give with the weight of a 125-pound woman dancing on it, Smith said.

Nickolai Scherban, a dance studio owner in Greenville, South Carolina, near where Smith grew up, purchased one of the floors 10 years ago.

“It’s state-of-the-art,” Scherban said. “It still has its sheen. And health-wise, it’s really good, I think. With the ballroom world … when they dance day in and day out, that’s needed.”

In addition to safer dancing, having a properly cushioned floor “allows us to teach longer days,” Smith said.

As for the “DWTS” celebrities and their partner instructors, “I know they are better off dancing on my floor than if they’d gone with something that ‘looked nice.’”

Though admittedly, the celebs don’t dance on the floor very much.

According to “DWTS” spokeswoman Ingrid Meilan, “It’s used for camera blocking (moves in relation to the camera), which is the day before the live show, and dress rehearsal the day of show, as well as the live show.”

Still, with 15 pairs of celebrity feet plus 15 pairs of instructor feet, that’s a good bit of use.

Smith sells the private-label flooring online through a manufacturer that farms out smaller jobs like the “DWTS” ballroom. Smith runs his flooring business, DanceFloor USA LLC, in the same building as his classes. DanceSmiths Ballroom Dance Studio resides in the basement of 376 Perkins Ext., approximately across from Novel bookstore.

Smith sold “DWTS” the exact type of flooring he uses in his studio. It’s called “Day at the Beech.” Pun intended. The floor is from the beech tree.

“It’s solid wood. It’s not a fake wear coat,” Smith said. “It’s responsibly grown. Every time they cut a tree, they plant two.”

According to Smith, the flooring is harder than popular maple or oak flooring.

“Exactly what we have out there,” said Smith from his office outside the ballroom. “This is exactly it.”

It holds up to tap dancing, the hardest on surfaces.

So, how exactly did Smith get “DWTS” to buy his flooring?

Well, the show reached out to him in 2015 to supply replacement boards. A production fellow found him online.

Talk about serendipity. Smith wanted to put in the show’s floor, and one of the reps simply found him by chance.

“Every year, they have to replace several boards,” Smith said. “Some of the boards get pretty beat up, and they change the set, too.”

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Earlier this year, the conversation pivoted to providing an entirely new dance floor. The show acquired about 1,800 square feet (which included extra boards for future use) for about $15,000 in materials.

It feels fabulous to see his work under Hollywood lights, Smith said.

“It’s really fun to turn on the television and say, ‘That’s my floor.’”