NEW DIRECTOR FOR PITTSBURGH DANCE COUNCIL.

The Pittsburgh Dance Council, one of the area's leading contemporary dance presenters, has relieved Executive Director Gray Montague of his duties. After just nineteen months of service, Montague was replaced by Paul Organisak, PDC's former development and associate director, later director of the American College Dance Festival Association, and, more recently, head of Boston's now-dead Dance Umbrella.

On June 26, the PDC board of directors announced the turnover. "We believed a change was necessary to better address organizational and planning functions in addition to programming," explained board president Diana Reed, who refused to offer any more details. "We don't comment on personnel issues," she said.

"I am very surprised by the actions of the board to let me go," Montague said, who left Ballet Arizona's executive directorship to become a presenter and was working at the PDC with neither a contract nor a defined job description. "This arrangement is not typical in the field," said Montague, "but is typical for the PDC. When I was negotiating the terms of my coming here, I was told that they did not offer contracts." (Organisak refused to say whether or not he had one.)

But even in this nebulous position, Montague said he was succeeding. "Subscriptions in my first year rose 30 percent, and total ticket revenue is up 24 percent." And during his tenure, the PDC landed a $175,000 Richard King Mellon Foundation grant, plus $150,000 from the Pittsburgh Foundation.

"Maybe I made too many assumptions about programming or commissions," said Montague, whose first full season started in September and is highlighted by new works from Susan Marshall, Ronald K. Brown, and David Parsons. Montague also said that planting the PDC--which continually runs with a deficit--on firm financial feet was "much slower going than I expected." He said old creditors had been paid during his watch, but the long-term debt remained. Montague said he is considering legal action. "My lawyer is in touch with their lawyer," he said. "That's all I can say."

Organisak, for his part, is "hoping to bring stability" to the PDC via a new strategic plan. "I've just gone through a situation where things had not been strategically addressed," he said, referring to his time with Dance Umbrella.

The Umbrella's Joan Parker, former vice chairperson, doesn't refute this. "We were experiencing financial difficulties as well as an upheaval in the infrastructure. Paul was chosen for his administrative skills, strong artistic sense and sensibilities, and good interpersonal skills. But it was too little too late. What happened to Dance Umbrella was beyond his control."

Organisak, a Pittsburgh native, is hardly an unknown quantity at the PDC. He worked for the presenter from 1988 to 1991, and then-director Carolelinda Dickey was his mentor. "I know the Pittsburgh community and the organization," he said, predicting a smooth transition into his new role. "It's an absolutely tremendous organization with a national and international reputation. I want to re-energize that locally."

Montague, who plans to remain in Pittsburgh, said he bears his replacement no ill will. "I met him once," he says. "He seems like a fine fellow, and I wish him well."