Ma Cong was named Richmond Ballet’s Associate Artistic Director in June 2020. He has been widely recognized by the dance world as a bold, bright, and inspired choreographer. Critics have described his choreography as being powerful and passionate. Having started his dance career at the Beijing Dance Academy, where he trained in the art of Chinese classical dance, he danced with The National Ballet of China from 1995 until 1999, prior to joining Tulsa Ballet. 

As a choreographer, Ma was described by The Washington Post as “Powerful” and Houston’s En Pointe as having “swiftly risen to become one of America’s most exciting choreographers.”  Ma has created many original works for companies worldwide. His first creation for Richmond Ballet Ershter Vals was performed for sold out audiences at the Royal Opera House in London in 2012 and at The Kennedy Center in 2015. Also in 2015, Ma’s creation Lift the Fallen was included in Richmond Ballet’s Road to China program for its five-city tour through China. His New York City balletic premiere was in 2017 when Richmond Ballet performed his Lift the Fallen at The Joyce Theater.

Among his many personal and professional achievements, Ma was named one of the “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine in 2006 for his dancing and choreography works as well as The Choo-San Goh award in 2007. In 2008, Ma was the winner of the 21st Century Choreographic competition and also received the “Audience Favourite” and “Editor’s Choice Award” from Pointe Magazine.  In 2013, Ma was named as one of Joffrey Ballet’s “Choreographers of Color Award” winners. Ma made his Broadway debut in 2017 while working with Julie Taymor on the revival of David Henry Hwang’s Tony Award-winning play M. Butterfly, starring Clive Owen. In 2018 Ma’s Glass Figures premiered at The Joyce Theater in New York and received rave reviews from audiences and critics alike. His most recent world premiere, a full-length creation for Tulsa Ballet, Tchaikovsky – The Man Behind the Music, has been celebrated as one of his greatest achievements as an artist and storyteller.