Vilma Machin was born in Havana, Cuba. She started her training at the age of nine at the National Ballet School, where she had eight years of training. She graduated in 2001 at the top of her class as both a dancer and teacher and joined the National Ballet Company under Alicia Alonso's direction. She danced professionally with the Cuban Company for over 6 years; some of the roles included Giselle, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Ballo de la Regina (Balanchine), and many others, including Alicia Alonso's choreographies, which she had the opportunity to stage for the first time as Romeo and Juliet and the magic flute, to name a few. Vilma toured Europe, Asia, and Latin America with the Cuban Company. Later she traveled to the United States, where she danced with the Miami Classical Ballet Company as a soloist for a season and performed Le Vivandière, Bayadere, Swan Lake, Coppelia, and many other roles. Later she joined Alma Dance Company as a principal; some of the roles included Dying Swan, Majisimo, Classical Symphony, and Frankenstein, to name a few. Vilma is Co-Artistic Director of Alma Dance Theater

Vilma has had teaching experiences both in Cuba and the United States at schools such as the National Ballet of Cuba, the Chicago Academy for the Arts, the School of Dance West, the Academy of Dance Art, the Faubourg School of Ballet, State Street Dance Studio, and Barrington Dance Academy, where, in addition to teaching, she performed The Nutcracker in a season. She has staged and choreographed such projects as Suite de Bayadere, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Coppelia, among others.

Since 2010, Vilma has coached many students for the Youth America Grand Prix Competition. In this competition, her students have won in the Chicago and New York finals. She had a student win the Grand Prix award two years in a row, in 2011 in the pre-competitive age division and in 2012 in the junior age division. In 2010–2013, she had even more students winning in the senior and junior age divisions. In 2014, she had two pre-competitive students place in both the Indianapolis and Chicago regionals; one of them won the Hope Award; the other placed 2nd; and one student even received a scholarship at the New York City Finals. In 2015, she had a student place 3rd in the senior age division at the Chicago regional, and in 2016, she had a student place in the top twelve in the junior division at the Indianapolis regional. Vilma plans to continue teaching the knowledge and experience she has gained through her many years of training.