a beer can or 1/2 full wine glass - I'd set it on his head and tell him to hold it while I moved away - then from across the room I'd get down on my hands and knees so our eyes could lock, then I'd tell him bring it here - he'd start out very slowly, one slow step at a time - he'd watch my eyes and if I saw the glass tipping I'd move my head as if I was balancing the glass myself - Cylus would follow my motion and center the balance - once he was within 3 or 4 feet of me he'd hurry those last few steps and I'd grab the wine glass before anything spilled - we never did spill anything, although my wife would object when we used red wine on our light beige carpet - lol - the beer can came about at a race - a friend who had seen the trick before asked that we show his friend - the only thing handy was an opened beer can - still had beer in it