Back in 2011, Ma Cong was a featured dancer in the Tulsa Ballet’s performance of “Slice to Sharp,” a ballet choreographed by Jorma Elo.

“I still have a fond memory, almost 15 years later, of performing this work and how I was pushed,” says Ma. “That’s why I’m bringing it here.”

The concept behind Richmond Ballet’s second production of the season, “Moving Art 2,” is director’s choice. Ma has curated the three dances on the program because of the personal connection he has to each piece. For “Slice to Sharp” in particular, he also sees his selections as opportunities to challenge his company.

“Elo created this ballet in 2006 for the New York City ballet,” he says. “At the time, they were the best dancers in the world, artistically and technically. This piece is built on a strong classical ballet foundation, so you have to have exceptional technique in your turns and jumps and extreme physical lines to reach the choreographer’s vision.”

Ma’s memory of performing the piece may be fond, but not uncomplicated. ”I remember, at that time, standing there with my colleagues and the anxiety of the moment right before the curtain rose,” he says. “It’s very challenging so you feel nervous. But it’s a good nervous because you want to do it right.”

Ma chose “French Twist,” the last dance on the program, because it was the piece that launched his career as a choreographer beyond Tulsa. He created the piece in 2008 after being invited to participate in the National Choreographer’s Initiative (NCI) in Irvine, California, an elite showcase for rising newcomers that allows them to take creative risks.

“After the program’s showcase, [the piece] immediately got people’s attention,” Ma says. “People just love the quirkiness and the humor and the kind of funky movement that still utilizes classical ballet technique. People found it delightful.”

Two years later, the Smuin Ballet in San Francisco asked him to build out the workshop piece into a full dance. He would ultimately stage “French Twist” at the National Ballet of China, which still performs it today.

At NCI, Ma also met Lauren Fagone, Richmond Ballet’s artistic associate, who introduced him to Stoner Winslett, who would ultimately bring Ma to Richmond. “This piece has special meaning to my career as a choreographer,” he says. “It’s the reason I’ve been able to extend my work more broadly.”

In between “Slice to Sharp” and “French Twist” will be “Last Touch,” a world premiere by Andrea Schermoly, who Ma calls “one of the most popular female choreographers in the dance world.”

Ma met Schermoly when they were both featured in a program at the Barak Ballet in Los Angeles. “I was fascinated by her style,” he says.

Originally from South Africa, Schermoly was on her country’s Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastics team before she turned her full attention to dance, an experience that she has only recently allowed to influence her work.

“Rhythmic gymnastics is such a virtuosic practice,” she says. “It’s so leggy, there are so many turns. For a while, I steered away from it because I was bored with it, I didn’t want to do tricks everywhere and have it look like a gymnastics routine.

“But over the last maybe 8 years, I was like ‘what am I doing?’” Schermoly continues. “This is such a part of my body and dancers are so capable of it. There are ways of using that elasticity that look artful. So I’ve stopped pushing it away.”

“Last Touch” will expand on a piece she created for Richmond Ballet’s 2024 New Works Festival. It is inspired by a game Schermoly’s family would play with her grandfather, who was a painter and who she calls “my guiding light my whole life.”

“After spending a weekend with him, as we drove out of the driveway, he would reach into the car and whoever got the last touch was the winner,” Schermoly says. “I grew [the piece] out so it doesn’t have such specific attachments but it explores that idea of having a last touch with somebody.”

“It is a very emotional piece,” says Ma. “and I think it’s another indication of where this company is heading. It’s emotional but it’s also engaging and very challenging, both for the eyes and for the mind.”

Richmond Ballet’s “Moving Art 2: Director’s Choice” will run at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, October 16-26. Tickets and more information available at https://richmondballet.com/.