Alice and Ellen Kessler, better known as the Kessler twins, were born on August 20, 1936 in Nerchau (Saxony). The identical sisters are singers, dancers and entertainers who are regarded as influential figures in European show business in the 1950s and 1960s. They took classical ballet lessons from an early age and joined the Leipzig Opera Children's Ballet at the age of eleven. In 1952, the family fled the GDR for West Germany, which marked the beginning of their international career. In Düsseldorf, the sisters get their first engagement at the Palladium revue theater. In 1955, they were discovered by the director of the Paris Lido. They were soon dancing, singing and acting in front of European audiences. They became particularly popular in Germany and Italy, where they performed as a duo with perfect synchronization. In 1959, the Kessler twins represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest with the hit "Heute Abend wollen wir tanzen geh'n". They achieved eighth place in this contest. Musically, they are mainly active in the field of pop and variety entertainment. Their discography includes numerous singles, including "Honey Moon" and "Mondschein und Liebe". Their album highlights are Discotheque Dance Date (1965), Le Gemelle Kessler a Studio Uno (1966) and Around the World (1971). The Kessler twins collaborated with international stars: they appeared on stage with legends such as Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Dean Martin and Harry Belafonte. Their elegance, precision and discipline in dancing together are trademarks of their career. In the course of their lives, Alice and Ellen receive several important awards: in 1987, they are awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon. In 2025, the state of Bavaria honored them with the Bavarian Order of Merit. By this time, the two sisters had already retired from active show business and were living in Grünwald near Munich. They died there on November 17, 2025.
