Bolshoi Ballet of censorship. It was the first time a show has been pulled in such a way since the collapse of the Soviet Union, sparking rumours about the motivation behind it. Today the Bolshoi Ballet remains one of the world's foremost ballet companies, in addition to being one of the largest, with approximately 220 dancers. The word "bolshoi" means "big" or "grand" in Russian. The company operates on a hierarchical system, similar to those used by other leading European ballet companies, with senior dancers ranked as principals, and descending in order of importance through lead soloist, first soloist, soloist and finally,
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia (1863–1919) he accumulated the finest and largest collection of Russian coins and medals, which included practically every coin ever used in the Russian Empire. He wrote ten monographs on the subject, among them: "Catalogue of Imperial Russian Coins 1725–1891", a book reprinted in the USA in 1976, that even today, is an important reference on the subject. When George Mikhailovich was appointed director of the newly founded Alexander III Museum in 1895, the grand duke proceeded to devote all his knowledge and influence to increasing the museum's numismatic collection with rare pieces or entire collections, such as the post-1700 Russian section