Greek Baring Gifts 

with a hellenic heritage and a dancing future, playmate jessica st. george proves a modern treasure 

Our flashing-eyed February Playmate, Jessica St. George -- a classically constructed (36-23-36) Californian of Greek ancestry -- has had those eyes fixed firmly on a dancing career since early childhood. At an age when most girls had no greater ambition than the acquisition of Shirley Temple dolls, raven-tressed Jessica was spending long hours in pursuit of the terpsichorean muse. "As soon as I was old enough to tell my right foot from my left," she explains, "my father began teaching me Greek folk dances. By the time I reached eighth grade, I already had a number of years of ballet and tap lessons behind me. I've never had any doubts that it would be a dancer's life for me." Since her graduation from a San Fernando Valley high school last June, our pirouetting Playmate has stepped up the pace in her classical ballet and modern dance schooling ("Some days I put in so many hours at the practice bar that I come home with what my dad calls 'ballerina hangover' "). Jessica is also taking drama courses, just in case she's ever given the chance to combine acting with dancing -- à la Rita Hayworth. On those evenings when 18-year-old Jessica isn't occupied with at-home practice ("My father's house rules are no entrechats or grands jétes after ten p.m.") or doing yoga exercises ("It's great for keeping the body limber"), she enjoys going out for a simple steak dinner à deux and a watusi or two with a guy who's "tall, dark and sincere." Jessica vows it has nothing to do with her Greek heritage, but we must admit we found just the slightest trace of chauvinism in the fact that her favorite music star is George Chakiris and the woman she most admires is Helen of Troy. We also must admit that we find nothing trepidatious in this Greek baring gifts