Kessler Twins
Encyclopedia
Alice and Ellen Kessler (born 20 August 1936 in Nerchau
, Germany
) are twins
popular in Europe
, especially Germany
and Italy
, from the 1950s and 1960s and until today for their singing, dancing and acting. They are usually credited as the Kessler Twins (Die Kessler-Zwillinge in Germany and Le Gemelle Kessler in Italy), and remain popular today.
In the USA, they were not as popular, but appeared in the 1963 film Sodom and Gomorrah as dancers and appeared on the cover of Life Magazine in that year.
Their parents, Paul and Elsa, sent them to ballet
classes at the age of six, and they joined the Leipzig Opera
's child ballet program at age 11. When they were 18, their parents used a visitor's visa to escape to West Germany
, where they performed at the Palladium in Düsseldorf
. They performed at The Lido
in Paris between 1955 and 1960, and represented West Germany
in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 8th place with Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n (Tonight we want to go dancing).
They moved to Italy
in 1960 and gradually moved to more serious roles. At the age of 40, they agreed to pose on the cover of the Italian edition of Playboy
. That issue became the fastest-selling Italian Playboy up until that point.
They moved back to Germany in 1986 and currently live in Munich
. They have received numerous awards from both the German and Italian governments for promoting German-Italian cooperation through their work in show business.
Nerchau
Nerchau is a town and a former municipality in the Leipzig district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Grimma. It is situated on the river Mulde, 7 km northeast of Grimma, and 30 km east of Leipzig .-Economy:Nerchau is known since 1834 for...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) are twins
TWINS
Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers are a pair of NASA instruments aboard two United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites in Molniya orbits. TWINS was designed to provide stereo images of the Earth's ring current. The first instrument, TWINS-1, was launched aboard USA-184...
popular in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, especially Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, from the 1950s and 1960s and until today for their singing, dancing and acting. They are usually credited as the Kessler Twins (Die Kessler-Zwillinge in Germany and Le Gemelle Kessler in Italy), and remain popular today.
In the USA, they were not as popular, but appeared in the 1963 film Sodom and Gomorrah as dancers and appeared on the cover of Life Magazine in that year.
Their parents, Paul and Elsa, sent them to ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
classes at the age of six, and they joined the Leipzig Opera
Oper Leipzig
Oper Leipzig is an opera house and opera company in Leipzig, Germany.The Leipzig Opera traces its establishment to the year 1693, making it the third oldest opera venue in Europe after La Fenice and the Hamburg State Opera...
's child ballet program at age 11. When they were 18, their parents used a visitor's visa to escape to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, where they performed at the Palladium in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. They performed at The Lido
Le Lido
Le Lido is a cabaret and burlesque house on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, famous for its exotic shows, which rival those of Las Vegas and where Elvis Presley gave an impromptu concert...
in Paris between 1955 and 1960, and represented West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 8th place with Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n (Tonight we want to go dancing).
They moved to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1960 and gradually moved to more serious roles. At the age of 40, they agreed to pose on the cover of the Italian edition of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
. That issue became the fastest-selling Italian Playboy up until that point.
They moved back to Germany in 1986 and currently live in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. They have received numerous awards from both the German and Italian governments for promoting German-Italian cooperation through their work in show business.
External links
- Interviewed by the CBC, ca. 1960 (the interview, made while they were employed at The Lido, starts half way through the clip)
- Kessler Sisters on Scopitone