We theoretically explore the generation of few-body analogs of fractional quantum Hall states. We consider an array of identical few-atom clusters (n=2,3,4), each cluster trapped at the node of an optical lattice. By temporally varying the amplitude and phase of the trapping lasers, one can introduce a rotating deformation at each site. We analyze protocols for coherently transferring ground-state clusters into highly correlated states, producing theoretical fidelities (probability of reaching the target state) in excess of 99%. © 2008 The American Physical Society.