The directors of Headlong Dance Theater - David Brick, Andrew Simonet and Amy Smith - have been working together since 1993 and it shows, in timing, in trust and, most important, in theatrical tautness.

Based in Philadelphia, Headlong returned to New York on Wednesday evening to present "Mixed Tape for a Bad Year" at the Ailey Citigroup Theater as part of the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Festival. "Mixed Tape" represents what Headlong dashes off with effortless ease: structurally succinct, occasionally funny dances, with, in this case, a noninvasive political thread.

In "Swinginging," Nichole Canuso, Heather Murphy and Ms. Smith brushed their arms back and forth in silence while accumulating movement, demonstrating the notion of individuality within the structure of a group. "Thrash," a video, wittily showcased excerpts from a continuing experiment: after listening to a portion of a speech by President Bush, people were filmed improvising. There were basically two reactions: convulsions or shoe gazing.

"Shosha," an excerpt from a work inspired by Isaac Bashevis Singer's novel, featured Mr. Simonet as an eager director leading Mr. Brick and Ms. Canuso through the creation of their characters.

As promising as "Shosha" is, "Yonder" was the evening's real work of art. Set to music from Alan Lomax's "Southern Journey" series, the refined quartet mirrored the lyrics of traditional murder ballads. Each dancer died, yet "Yonder" was more than a visualization of senseless killings. Stripped of ornament, the work was an example of pure choreographic construction.

The program showed Headlong going back to basics; there may have been favorites on this "Mixed Tape," but there were no duds.