Linda Lock took a circuitous route to her role as one of the best ballet teachers in America today.  She has taught at The Studio since 1998, coming from San Jose Dance Theatre, where she taught for two years with Diane Cypher and Robert Kelley.  Linda began studying dance as a teenage gymnast -- eventually coaching gymastics professionally.  She also studied several musical instruments, including piano, guitar, flute, alto saxophone, oboe and E flat soprano clarinet.  She played her B-flat soprano clarinet in orchestras for ballets, operas, and musical theatre.  She played in both a wood-wind quintet and jazz band for six years and played guitar and sang in a rock band for four years playing pubs, dances, and private events.

Linda studied six years of Pre-Med biochemistry and microbiology at San Jose State, as well as completed two years of aeronautics and aerodynamics.  She earned her private pilot's license on her way to what she thought might be a commercial flying career. In her mid-20s she began to study ballet.  No one told her it was too late.  She studied with Jean Dunphy at The Studio, Kristine Elliott in Palo Alto, and the Reyes husband and wife team in Santa Clara.  She took every form of dance-related class she could find at Cabrillo College, including modern dance and drama classes.  She eventually danced professionally with Santa Clara Ballet and Peninsula Ballet Theatre in The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Les Sylphides, and as the Cat in Peter and the Wolf.

Linda's early teaching career was especially influenced by Kristine Elliott and Kim Gardner.  She also studied Pilates privately with Kim for over ten years to add to her understanding of kinesiology.  She has attended teacher training courses in both the Vaganova method and Royal Academy of Dancing method.  "Miss Linda" brings a passion and perspective to the ballet classroom that only someone who took this route to get here could. She has moved out of the area, but has continued teaching our students remotely on Zoom, as well as a guest instructor in the studio.  She now also serves SCBT as Stage Manager for productions including The Nutcracker, In Concert, and Student Demonstration performances.