Born in Buffalo, New York, Todd Russell found capoeira via a VHS tape as a teenager. Knowing you can only learn so much from a video tape, he sought the mentorship of a capoeira mestre. He graduated from Capoeira Mandinga, under the supervision of Mestre Marcelo Pereira, in the first international capoeira event; taking place in August of 2006 in Ubatuba, Brazil. He was named Carcará for his ability to fly and land in queda de rins. Mestre Carcará has been promoting and presenting capoeira through performing, teaching and providing his knowledge and expertise within this art. In October of 2004, he founded the Academia com Expressão, a professional company for capoeira that has performed and offered workshops throughout the United States and abroad, including classes within the Department of Movement and Dance at the University of Rochester; working with Sankofa in Brockport, NY; Pixar Animation Studios in Berkeley, CA; and various groups in Brazil, Japan and China.