When one thinks of Pittsburgh, the performing arts are normally not the first thing to come to mind. However, this may change in the upcoming years. Pittsburgh has been chosen to host the world premiere of Cirque Dreams Pop Goes the Rock, the newest production by world-renowned creator and producer, Neil Goldberg.”We [Cirque Dreams] have always felt Pittsburgh audiences have a great appreciation for the arts,” Goldberg said in an interview on Monday. “Cirque Dreams is a genre that blends many types of art including live music, stage theatrics, variety acts, international performance artistry and more. A show like Pop Goes The Rock is a true testament to those in Pittsburgh who have grown to appreciate so many art forms and now will have a chance to see many of these genres presented in one show.”The show is set to open on Tuesday, Feb. 21 and will run through Sunday, Feb. 26 at Heinz Hall. Goldberg said the team at Heinz Hall had expressed a great interest in booking the show early on in the process of creating his vision.”When shows are in development they are presented years in advance for buyers to be aware and consider product for the future,” Goldberg said. “Our New York based booking agency worked in conjunction with the team in Pittsburgh to make this premier happen.”Goldberg, who has been interested in the arts since he was a young boy, said the inspiration for his latest show was music itself.”The inspiration for this show was popular music,” Goldberg said. “It is our belief that everyone has memories of different songs from different times in their life’s experiences. Taking the emotion that is evoked from music and blending it with the motion of a Cirque Dreams theatrical experience was our goal … to blend emotion with motion.”According to the Cirque Dream’s website, Pop Goes the Rock will feature such hit songs as “Call Me Irresponsible,” “King of the Road,” “Womanizer,” “Beautiful,” “Zoot Suit Riot,” “She Bangs,” “The Heat is On,” “In the Summertime,” “Let it Ride,” “Apologize,” “No More Mister Nice Guy,” “Never Gonna Let you Go,” “Like a Prayer,” “Right ‘Round,” “Jump (For My Love),” “Rapper’s Delight,” “I Love the Nightlife” and many more.These chart toppers of years past were hand-chosen by Goldberg and his team over the course of two years.  He said this performance will be unlike any other production he has worked on.”Our creative team listened to over 10,000 songs dating back to the 1940’s and over the course of two years tailored the score to include 24 popular hits,” Goldberg said. “The integrity of each song will most definitely hit the heartstrings and musical memories of everyone, but they have been re-orchestrated, updated, mashed-up and presented in an all new and fresh musical perspective. Add to that a variety of edgy awe-inspiring acts, live vocalists, a jammin’ band and hip dance crew recently featured on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew and you’ve got a show that will appeal to audiences of all ages.””I think the idea of the musical craziness is the thing that first attracted me to the show. My boyfriend surprised me with tickets for Valentine’s Day and I cannot wait to see what they will do with songs that I grew up singing,” Chelsea Cush said, a sophomore biology major.Her boyfriend, Ryan Schillinger, 20, was unsure about attending Pop Goes the Rock at first.”Normally, I’m not into the performing arts, but she really wanted to go, so I checked it out,” Schillinger, who is from Brighton Heights, said. “It seems pretty interesting and I’m actually looking forward to going now. I can’t wait to see what crazy stuff they do on stage. It should be a good time.”In addition to the music selection, much emphasis was also placed on the costumes and scenery. Goldberg is known for his vivid use of textile design, as well as being well-versed in costume creation and stage direction. Pop Goes the Rock’s performers will appear as if they are straight out of a child’s dream.”The hundreds of costumes featured in the show complement each song’s theme, while at the same time telling a story of the show’s setting,” Goldberg said. “Since the show begins with a traditional jack-in-the-box ‘Pop Goes the Weasel tune’ it was only befitting to set the journey in a carnival funhouse where vibrant color, abstract shapes and optical illusions are the norm. All of these elements have been interpreted into the show’s costumes.”Everything on the stage will also add to the mysticism and magic that is Pop Goes the Rock. The special effects that have been worked into the show will allow the audience to experience something extra-sensory almost as if they are part of the world that is being portrayed on stage.           “The funhouse setting for Pop Goes The Rock was a great palette for the show’s development …There are many special effects that will surprise audiences throughout this Cirque Dreams experience,” Goldberg said. “Ultra-violet black light will illuminate much of the set and costumes while laser lights bounce off walls and mirrors creating patterns and shapes. Add to that the most state-of-the-art theatrical lighting equipment and designs and the stage will look like a non-stop spinning kaleidoscope.”