The Space in Back of You is a poetic homage to Suzushi Hanayagi, a radical Japanese choreographer and dancer whose work influenced such artists as David Byrne, Anna Halprin, and longtime collaborator Robert Wilson, who simply calls her “my teacher.” Classically trained, Hanayagi was able to link East to West, broadening the definition of what classical or modern dance might be. As in Hanayagi's striking work, the film's beauty lies in the simplicity with which it handles a complex life, one punctuated by powerful performances, an international career, and, eventually, a debilitating disease. Undaunted, the eighty-three-year-old remarked, “I'm dancing in my mind.”