Hi Cedric,
I sometimes work in live shows where the singer comes off the stage and walks through the arena. Many people are in my way because they want to take a photo with the celebrity. I have to change from Missionary to Don Juan quite often and unexpected because the singer starts and stops suddenly, changes the direction and so on. I am quite close to the person and when he approaches me, I sometimes have no time and room to make a switch to be in Don Juan, but I try to as soon as I can.
When it is very crowded I have to operate with only one hand on the gimbal. I use the other hand to keep the crowd on the distance that I don't hit people with the arm (which I unfortunately did in a womans belly last year when I was running with full speed). When I am in Missionary but in front of the star (walking backwards) I often bump into people with my back. I don't have a spotter as I am all alone with my rig in the crowd :-(
Usually, I prefer to go Don Juan when I walk more than a few steps. I have one eye on the monitor, half an eye on the ground below me and half an eye on my walking direction. With "half an eye" I mean I "see" with the corners of my eyes. It is not really seeing but more a recognition of shapes, light and contrast changes and movements. With this technique I can turn my head back to the actor and my monitor but can also "see" what is behind me (in my walking direction) without turning my head or just a little bit.
I hope I could explain it in a comprehensible way.
Steffen