McKerrow, who is 41, was brought to ABT by Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1982. She was promoted to soloist in 1983 and principal in 1987, and has danced the lead roles in most of the company's story ballets, such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle. She has also danced in works by contemporary choreographers such as Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, and others.

She began her career at the Washington Ballet under Mary Day, and in 1981 was the first American to win the gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition.