New York City Ballet what he wants to do in the way he wants to do it." He served as the company's General Director from 1946 to 1989, developing and sustaining it by his organizational and fundraising abilities. The company was named New York City Ballet in 1948 when it became resident at City Center of Music and Drama. Its success was marked by its move to the New York State Theater, now David H. Koch Theater, designed by Philip Johnson to Balanchine's specifications. City Ballet went on to become the first ballet company in the United States to have two permanent venue engagements:
The Cage (ballet) The Cage (ballet) The Cage is a ballet made by New York City Ballet ballet master Jerome Robbins to Stravinsky's "Concerto in D" for string orchestra, also known as the "Basel Concerto", which he was commissioned to compose on the twentieth anniversary of the chamber orchestra Basler Kammerorchester; it notably shifts between D major and minor. The premiere took place on Sunday, 10 June 1951 at the City Center of Music and Drama, New York, with décor by Jean Rosenthal, costumes by Ruth Sobatka and lighting by Jennifer Tipton. It was danced as part of City Ballet's 1982 Stravinsky Centennial