NYC nightlife insiders predict ‘no more dance floors’ post-COVID

As New York City eased into Phase 4 of reopening Monday, the life of the party remains in critical condition. Nightclubs were supposed to be among the businesses coming back in this wave. But with Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio announcing that indoor activities — including malls and museums — are still off the …

As New York City eased into Phase 4 of reopening Monday, the life of the party remains in critical condition.

Nightclubs were supposed to be among the businesses coming back in this wave. But with Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio announcing that indoor activities — including malls and museums — are still off the table, insiders are scrambling to figure out the future.

“Being on a dance floor used to be hot. Now it feels scary,” said Francesco Belcaro, who has hosted nights for the Alley Cat Amateur Theater in the Beekman Hotel downtown and the Paradise club in the Edition Hotel in Times Square — which closed after falling victim to the economic perils of the pandemic.

At the buzzy Bushwick club House of Yes, co-owner Anya ­Sapozhnikova sees other places potentially becoming more ­exclusive.

“The dance floor is where you make out with strangers,” she said, adding that being out there with fewer, socially distanced people would defeat the purpose. “Maybe nightlife becomes smaller events and [clubs resemble] speak-easies like in the 1920s.”

That in itself could be a draw: A tighter door and small guest list could lead to nightlife feeling like a true luxury commodity, which could also lead to clubs being able to charge more.

Anthony “Doc” Shnayderman, an independent promoter who helped fill the dance floors of hot spots such as Up & Down and 1OAK, says higher prices could come into play.

“I don’t know how the clubs can operate at reduced capacity,” Shnayderman explained to The Post. “Operating at 50 percent capacity is a loss or break-even. It’s almost better to be closed than to open under capacity.”

Belcaro thinks the scene could move underground and predicts a boom in illicit, after-hours spots — like ’80s clubs Save the Robots and the Continental that stayed open until 8 a.m. and drew the starry likes of David Bowie and John Belushi.

“Young people are not afraid . . . There will be demand for people who want to go to crowded places,” said Belcaro, adding that he operates only in the legal realm. “I also see it going back to private clubs, where you have to be a member and you know who you’re hanging out with.”

That’s where Zero Bond, opening this fall, comes in. Although it won’t have a dance floor, the members-only Noho social club, headed by former Butter co-owner Scott Sartiano, will showcase levels of safety that traditional nightclubs likely couldn’t pull off.

“We are investing in thermal technology,” Sartiano said, adding that members will receive branded face masks. “An eye in the sky will tell us if you have a fever. If you do, you’ll not be able to come back for two weeks.”

Others are just trying to provide as much room to socially distance as possible.

At House of Yes, a DJ plays music Thursday to Sunday for sidewalk tables, with signs that say: “This is not a dance party.”

“We are renovating our yard,” said Sapozhnikova of House of Yes. “We’ll have some cover from the rain and a redone shipping container that will serve as a cocktail lounge back there” — but, alas, no alfresco dance floor. “I’m putting together a list of my favorite buskers from the neighborhood” to perform in back.

The idea, she added, is that “it will feel like a small block party.”

But the question remains: What about dancing?

“That is the million-dollar question,” said Belcaro. “Nobody knows if dancing will be allowed [anywhere]. But you can’t seal off a dance floor — automatically, people who have a couple drinks and feel cozy will start dancing.”

One thing’s for sure: None of the insiders expect to see New Yorkers fleeing to the suburbs to party.

“I don’t see New Yorkers ever becoming the new bridge-and-tunnel crowd,” said Belcaro.

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