Cypriot shatters world record

Cypriot Aristotelis Valaoritis will take a place in the book of Guinness World Records after breaking the record for the most wine glasses balanced on the head.

He did this by balancing 319 glasses stacked on nine trays.

The 62-year-old man has practiced the unique skill since 1995, he said after breaking the record, surpassing the previous record holder, fellow Cypriot Ntinos Kkanti.

The video of his performance was posted on social media, where Aristotelis is seen waiting patiently while his assistant adds the ninth tray of glasses to the precarious stack on his head.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he even improvised a dance, twirling his hands and swaying his hips, all while balancing the towering glassware.

However, as he attempted to add another tray to his stack, the glass tower tumbled, shattering on the floor.

New record: Most wine glasses balanced on the head – 319 by Aristotelis Valaoritis (Cyprus) 🍷

Come for the balancing, stay for the smash at the end 😅 pic.twitter.com/9lStjoSAZy

— Guinness World Records (@GWR) October 19, 2023

Before the glass tower broke, he managed to keep it balanced for a remarkable 20 seconds, which is double the minimum time requirement for the record.

Speaking about his passion for glass dancing, Aristotelis mentioned that he enjoys seeing the tension on the faces of the onlookers while he dances with the glassware balanced on his head.

In preparation for the record attempt, he trained his neck through exercises that involved balancing a 50kg barrel of sand hanging from a tree on his head daily for five minutes.

Aristotelis has set his sights on two more challenges, namely most glasses balanced on the head in a single stack and most whisky glasses balanced on the head.

For the former, he will need to balance 25 glasses, while for the latter a more impressive 270.

“I want to prove to everyone that I can still do it, and I like the challenge. I feel happy that at this age, nothing is impossible… so never give up,” he told Guinness World Records.